ACP guns down wife and nephew, ends life; peers perplexed

Gaikwad told his son that his wife was the cause of the trouble

The gruesome last actions of ACP Bharat Gaikwad, 57, who killed his wife and 35-year-old nephew before taking his own life at their Balewadi residence in Pune on Sunday night, has shocked the Mumbai Police. It is suspected that the couple had fought before Gaikwad shot his spouse, Moni, 44, in the head with his licensed revolver. According to police sources, the officer had fired at the youth, Deepak, in a fit of aggression before ending his life.

Gaikwad had only 11 months to go before retiring from the Maharashtra Police. He resided with his two sons, Harshwardhan, 28, and Suhash, 25, and his mother. No suicide note was found at the scene by the Pune-based Chaturshringi police, who have registered a murder case against Gaikwad and initiated an investigation.

Police officials revealed that Gaikwad had been serving as ACP in the Amravati division for the past two and a half years. Before that, he spent four years as a senior inspector at Amboli police station and was later transferred to DN Nagar police station for a period lasting six to seven months. The incident occurred at 3.30 am on Monday while and Moni were having a heated argument in their bedroom.

The Gaikwad residence in Balewadi, Pune

After Deepak entered the bedroom to intervene, an enraged Gaikwad grabbed his revolver and ended Moni's life. He then turned to his nephew. When Suhash attempted to mediate, Gaikwad threatened to kill his youngest son if he got in their way.

Gaikwad later told his son his wife was the cause of the trouble and proceeded to shoot Deepak in the chest. He then apologised to his surviving family members and locked himself in another room before shooting himself fatally. Gaikwad had fired three rounds in all. The family immediately informed the local police, who rushed all three injured individuals to a hospital in Pune, where they were pronounced dead. The police have seized the revolver and mobile phones from the residence as evidence.

An officer from the Amboli police station told mid-day, "We never expected Gaikwad sir to kill his wife and nephew. He was always cheerful and helpful, and he successfully solved many major cases at the police station. It is truly shocking for all of us." An officer from the DN Nagar police station said, "Just two months ago, Gaikwad sir came to Mumbai with his wife for a police officer's wedding, and he seemed incredibly happy with her. It is truly perplexing as to why he would commit such a heinous deed."