Priya Singh case: SIT arrests son of Maha bureaucrat who mowed down influencer’s girlfriend
Priya Singh, a social media influencer from Thane, has alleged that her boyfriend Ashwajit Gaikwad tried to run her over with his car.
Priya Singh case: A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Thane Police on Sunday arrested Ashwajit Gaikwad, who is accused of running over his girlfriend Priya Singh with his car, seriously injuring the 26-year-old Instagram influencer.
Ashwajit is the son of prominent Maharashtra bureaucrat Anil Gaikwad, the managing director of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.
“Thane Police SIT has arrested the main accused Ashwajit Gaikwad and his two associates Romil Patil and Sagar Shedge,” news agency ANI reported. It says that the SUV car – a Land Rover Defender – which was allegedly used to mow down Priya has also been seized by the SIT sleuths.
Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Mahesh Patil identified the three as Ashwajit Gaikwad, Romil Patel and Sagar Shedge.
“The three were detained at 8:50 p.m. A Mahindra Scorpio and a Land Rover allegedly used in the incident have been seized. Kasarwadavali police are conducting further investigations,” Patil said in his message to the media.
What happened to Priya Singh?
Priya Singh, a social media influencer from Thane, shared a post on her Instagram page stating that her boyfriend Ashwajit Gaikwad invited her for a meeting on December 11 and allegedly told his driver to run her over with his car.
In a post on her Instagram page, Priya wrote, “I was in a relationship with my boyfriend for four and a half years. We were completely in love with each other. I didn’t know he was married before. Later, when I found out, he told me that they (his wife and he) were no longer together, that they had broken up. He said he wanted to marry me. I lived with him for a long time.”
‘When I went to meet him that evening, he was with his wife. I was in shock when I went to talk to him, he became aggressive. We had an argument,” she said.
She alleged that when she tried to get her belongings from the suspect’s car, the driver tried to mow her down, seriously injuring her.
“Three bones in my right leg are broken, it has been operated on. From my left shoulder to my hips I have deep injuries…I cannot move my body. I went to file an FIR four days ago, the day all this happened. But no action was taken. When I posted on social media today, the police supported me today,” the Instagram model said.
SIT probes case
Following her complaint, Thane police registered a case under relevant sections of the law and formed an SIT to investigate the matter.
“An offense has been registered under Section 279, 338, 323, 504, 34 IPC. A primary investigation has been done by the local police officers… Today, an SIT has been formed… We are investigating and interrogating all witnesses… We have recorded three statements so far,” DCP Zone 5 Amarsingh Jadhav had said earlier on Sunday.
‘Police came and asked me to sign something’
On Sunday, Priya Singh alleged that police personnel visited her on Saturday evening and forced her to ‘sign something’, which she refused. The Thane-based influencer who is receiving medical attention at a city hospital due to her injuries, also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for justice.
“Last night police officers came. They tried to force me to sign something. I refused. Because I didn’t have a lawyer. And neither does anyone from my family. They forced me and said that whatever will happen tomorrow, sign now. When I didn’t sign, they got angry and left,” Priya said on Sunday, according to news agency ANI.
#WATCH The suspect allegedly ran Ashwajit Anil Gaikwad over his girlfriend with his car | Victim Priya Singh says: “Last night police officers came. They tried to force me to sign something. I refused. Because I didn’t have a lawyer, nor did anyone from my family. They… pic.twitter.com/0URTT5udUk
— ANI (@ANI) December 17, 2023
“I have great confidence in the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister. I just want justice,” she said.