Gondia suicide case: recovered deleted data leads to case against cop, boyfriend
Deleted phone data recovered by a forensic lab has led police to book a police constable and the victim's boyfriend in a 2023 Gondia suicide case.
A suicide case involving a young woman in Deori taluka of Gondia district three years ago has taken a new turn. After deleted data from the woman's mobile phone was recovered during examination by a forensic science laboratory, police have registered a case against her boyfriend and a police constable who was serving in the force at the time. The case has once again come into focus in the jurisdiction of Chichgad police station.
According to police, the 18-year-old woman was in a relationship with a young man. The investigation found, from conversations on her mobile phone, that the two frequently quarrelled over certain issues. On November 9, 2023, at around 1.30 pm, the woman poured petrol on herself and set herself on fire at her home. She died during treatment.
Since the case came to light, the woman's father had repeatedly demanded action against those responsible. During the investigation, police obtained data deleted from the woman's mobile phone from the forensic science laboratory. Based on WhatsApp conversations and other information found in this data, police began re-verifying the sequence of events. This verification brought forth an allegation that a police constable had interfered in the woman's personal life.
As per the investigation, the police constable, Omprakash Jamnik, who was at the time posted in the Naxal intelligence wing at Deori, is alleged to have sent obscene messages to the woman and made improper demands. Police said the investigation found that this led to growing disputes between the woman and her boyfriend. The legal veracity of these allegations will become clear in further investigation.
In this case, Chichgad police have registered a case against Vikesh Ambade of Chipota in Deori taluka, and police constable Omprakash Jamnik, who currently resides in Akola. On the complaint of Assistant Police Inspector Janardan Hegadkar, action has been taken against Vikesh Ambade under Sections 306, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, while a case has been registered against Jamnik under Sections 354(A) and 509.
Police said neither of the two accused in the case has been arrested yet. The mobile data recovered after three years has given the investigation an important direction, and police are currently verifying the available digital evidence along with other aspects.
