Elderly woman assaulted by neighbours in Pune after argument about pet cats

Pune: An argument over pet cats turned ugly in Tathawade this week when a family of three allegedly assaulted an elderly woman.

The 60-year-old woman, who lives alone in Panchshilnagar, sustained injuries to her forehead after the attack on Tuesday night. The woman said in her complaint to the Wakad police on Wednesday that her neighbour’s five cats had become a nuisance as they frequently entered her house and jumped on her tin shed. She said she had repeatedly raised the issue with the neighbour, but no action was taken.

“On Tuesday night, while the complainant was having dinner, the cats entered her house. When she shooed them away, her neighbour came to her house and started abusing her,” an officer from the Wakad police station said.

He added that when the woman tried to speak to her neighbour, the latter’s daughter dragged her by the hair. The mother and daughter allegedly assaulted her with punches and kicks. The neighbour’s son then picked up a brick from the footpath and hit the elderly woman on her forehead. When the elderly woman raised an alarm, the trio fled, the officer said.

“The elderly woman’s married daughter came home after being informed by other neighbours about the attack and took her to a hospital. The woman had to get four stitches on her forehead,” the officer added.

Police registered a case against the three people under sections 118 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and issued notices to the accused. “Our investigation is on,” he said.