Knife-wielding man holds elderly couple hostage in their home

Knife-wielding man holds elderly couple hostage in their home
Raju Shinde and Divyesh Singh

The 45-year-old intruder, who also stabbed a neighbour as he tried to rescue the couple, was finally overpowered after police broke open the door.

An elderly couple was held hostage by the knife-wielding son of their former maid in their Worli apartment for close to an hour-and-a-half on Sunday night.

The intruder, who was threatening to set fire to the house and stabbed a neighbour who tried to rescue the couple, was eventually overpowered by the cops after they broke open the front door.

The man Vijay Bhingarde, 45, seemed disoriented all through the hold-up, rambling alternatingly about being chased by some people and avenging an old enmity. The couple - 87-year-old cardiologist B R Kalke, a former dean of Nair hospital, and his 82-year-old wife Aruna - have only a passing acquaintance with Bhingarde. His mother, who is no more, worked for the Kalkes 18 years ago.

Bhingarde, who lives in Worli’s Premnagar slums and does odd jobs, rang the door bell of the Kalke residence on the second floor of Shaivali building in Worli’s Municipal Colony around 10.30 pm. When Dr Kalke opened the door, he could not see anyone outside. When he removed the safety chain to open the door wider, Bhingarde, who was hiding, pushed him inside and locked the door behind him.

While a shocked Dr Kalke grappled with Bhingarde and caught hold of his hand, Aruna started screaming and ran into the bedroom and grabbed her cell phone. She first dialed the Worli police station number, which she had saved on the speed dial, but there was no response. She then called a relative, who too did not take the call. Aruna then called their neighbour Pravin Naik, a Siddhivinayak temple trustee, who lives on the floor below.

Naik alerted other neighbours and rushed to the second floor. As he stepped out, Naik’s wife told him that just a few minutes ago a man had asked for Dr Kalke’s address.

When Naik reached the second floor, he could hear Bhingarde screaming behind the closed door. Naik, who was till on the phone with Aruna, asked her to tell him what was going on inside. She told him Bhingarde had picked up a knife and a match-box from the kitchen and was threatening to start a fire.

Naik, who was now frantically calling the Worli police station on his other phone, tried to strike a conversation with Bhingarde, offering to fulfill all his demands if he let the old couple walk. Bhingarde, however, was growing more aggressive with every passing minute, repeatedly threatening to stab Dr Kalke and set the house on fire.

Around 11 pm, Naik decided to not waste time calling the Worli police station and tried the police control room number. The control room responded immediately and sent a wireless message. The alert was picked by Police Inspector Ramesh Nangre, who happened to be on a night patrol. The inspector also knew Naik personally.

But before Nangre could reach the spot. The neighbours, worried about the Kalkes’ safety, mounted their own rescue operation. Rahul Mangle, 19, who lives in a neighbouring building, climbed up a drain pipe and tried to enter the Kalke residence through the living room window. Though Mangle had to retreat when Bhingarde stabbed his hand with the kitchen knife, it gave enough time to Dr Kalke and Aruna to escape to their bedroom and lock it from inside.

By now the cops were at the door. Nangre warned Bhingarde that he would be shot down if he did not let the couple walk out safely. Bhingarde’s response was that he would burn the house down before that. The nerve-racking negotiations with Bhingarde went on beyond 11.30 pm.

Though they knew the Kalkes were safe in the bedroom, the cops and the neighbours were unsure how long the ageing couple would be able to take the stress. There was also the danger of Bhingarde forcing his way into the bedroom and attacking them or setting the house on fire.

At 11.55 pm, the cops decided to break the door down. The neighbours brought up all the heavy gardening equipment the colony had. It took the cops around five minutes to break the door. When the cops tried to enter the house, Bhingarde charged at them, flashing the kitchen knife. He was, however, swiftly overpowered.

Bhingarde was taken to the Worli police station, where he told the cops that he was being chased by some people and had entered the Kalke residence to escape them. He was produced at the Bhoiwada Metropolitan Court in the morning and sent to the Arthur Road jail.

Dr Kalke and his wife, after recording their police statement, moved to their daughter’s house. While Dr Kalke suffered a contusion to his hand, Aruna was in deep shock when Mumbai Mirror tried to speak to her.

Braveheart Rahul Mangle, who tried to rescue to the couple before the cops arrived, suffered a deep gash on his right hand when he was stabbed by Bhingarde. He got six stitches.

Cops later in the day managed to trace Bhingarde’s sister, who said he is prone to violent behaviour and often gets into trouble because of that. Bhingarde is married and his wife and kids live in Karad.