Mid-Day

Mumbai, May 3: Teasing Shraddha Kunchal (12) cost Pratik Jadhav (17) two fingers and a broken thumb. Kunchal’s family friend Mahesh Devadiga (21) allegedly chopped them off with a machete in Ramabhai Colony, Ghatkopar on Monday.

Pratik Jadhav denied that his friends and he had teased Kunchal. He said, “We were not teasing the girl. We were just playing cricket when this happened.”

Pratik Jadhav (17) shows his bandaged hand (Pic: Vishal Kelkar)

Jadhav added, “There was some misunderstanding over somebody teasing his friend on Sunday. My friends and I were not involved in it. But Devadiga started hitting us because of it. However, the issue was settled after that. But around 9 pm yesterday, we had an argument, following which he attacked me with the chopper. If I had not put up my hand in defence, he would have cut my throat and killed me.”

Kunchal, however, told the police that Jadhav and his friends had teased her.

Devadiga denied the allegations. He said, “I was only trying to intervene and pacify people during a fight between Jadhav and his friends and some other people. I did not attack anyone with a chopper.”

The police have taken Devadiga into custody. Inspector A Narote of Pant Nagar police station said, “We are yet to ascertain if it was Devadiga who chopped off Jadhav’s fingers.”

Jadhav and friends first went to Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, where doctors told them that reconstructing the hand with all the fingers would be difficult.

They then went to Sion hospital, where Jadhav was finally admitted early Tuesday morning.