Pune: An elderly couple, identified as Swapnil Kekre and his wife, have been arrested by Chatuhshrungi Police on charges of assaulting 27-year-old digital content creator Jerlyn D'Silva on Baner-Pashan Road.
Jerlyn was traveling with her children on a scooter when the assault took place. The altercation began when the car driver, identified as Swapnil Kekre, attempted to overtake D'Silva and became enraged when she did not give way.
After overtaking and stopping ahead, Kekre exited his vehicle and assaulted D'Silva. Following the incident, the police registered an FIR and filed charges against Kekre and his wife, who was present in the car during the incident.
DCP Vijaykumar Magar stated that the FIR has been registered at Chatuhshrungi Police Station against Kekre and his wife, and further investigation is underway. Both have been charged with relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The incident gained widespread attention when Jerlyn D'Silva, who has over 70,000 followers on Instagram, in a bloodied state, recorded a video describing the assault. The video quickly went viral, leading to public outrage.
In the video, D'Silva claimed that Kekre pulled her hair and punched her twice on the face and nose, causing significant bleeding. She expressed her distress, highlighting that her young children were present during the assault. Jerlyn was treated at a private hospital in Baner.
In May 2023, in a similar road-rage incident, a 40-year-old woman had filed case against Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) worker after a dispute over the brushing of their vehicle on road.
The suspect, Sujeet Satish Kate, had allegedly made derogatory remarks and vandalized the woman’s car by smashing its windscreen. The suspect had also forcefully pushed the car door, resulting in injuries to her husband.
