The victim Anil Shellar was shot dead in an encounter with the Thane (rural) police off Murbad at 1 am on March 21. After the news of his death reached his home his wife Pushpa committed suicide, according to her mother Radha Chintaman Mhatre (45) who lodged the complaint.

The complaint - copies of which have been sent to the chief minister and the home secretary - alleged, "The police called Ashok from home and took him to Murbad where he was shot dead," and adds, "my daughter who could not take the grief of his death committed suicide by hanging herself when she got to know so the police are responsible for her death too."

Thane police had claimed that Anil was wanted for 14 crimes including two murders. PSI J Tayade (Kasara police) and PSI L Gaikwad (Murbad) had shot Anilreportedly following his opening fire on the cops. "The officers were saved since they were wearing bullet-proof jackets," police had claimed. However, Radha claimed that two constables took her son-in-law to the the Ramnagar police station, Dombivli stating that PSI Datta Ghule wanted to see him on March 20 at 1.00 pm.

"He said he'll be back for lunch but that was the last we saw of him," she told Express Newsline. When he did not return for over two hours Pushpa and her mother went to look for him but he was not at the police station. "Pushpa kept asking me to arrange for at least Rs one lakh somehow," Radha recalled alleging, "Ghule had asked her to pay Rs 2 lakh a week earlier if she wanted to see her husband alive."

Ghule denied the allegations as baseless when contacted.