Panvel man holds family hostage, injures cops in eight-hour standoff

A Panvel neighbourhood witnessed a reallife crime thriller on Wednesday night when a 35yearold man armed with a sickle and axe held his entire family hostage for eight hours and left four cops bleeding before finally being overpoweredSoban Babulal Mahto in maskThe accused Soban Babulal Mahto a resident of Mangla Niwas Godse Ali stormed into his family home around 830 pm broke down the doors and locked his mother father brother two nephews and niece inside The reason A bitter property dispute has been simmering within the familyMangla Niwas the building where the chaos unfolded at Godse Ali in Panvel PICSBY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTAccording to sources Mahto short but wellbuilt has always been a local terror In 2018 he was arrested for murder but managed to secure bail a week ago ldquoHe has been unpredictable and violent for years Everyone in the area feared him but that night he crossed every limitrdquo said a neighbour recalling the cries for help from inside the houselsquoWill kill everyonersquoThe Panvel City police first received a call from neighbours around 830 pm SubInspector Pragya Munde rushed to the spot with her team spoke to locals and confirmed the accused was Mahto When she tried to talk him into surrendering Mahto bellowed back ldquoIf police try to enter I will kill everyone Irsquoll slit my niecersquos throat in front of you allrdquoSenior PI Nitin Thakre left and the police officers who sustained injuries trying to subdue Soban Mahto PICBY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTThe terrified 16yearold niece Nikita Mahto was dragged by her uncle and had a koyta sickle pressed against her neck as cops watched helplessly from outside Senior PI Nitin Thakre PI Crime Shakir Patel and PSI Pravin Fadtare soon reached with reinforcements Appeals failed so the fire brigade was called in They smashed open the door and sprayed water inside to distract the accused while Constable Sadhna Pawar unleashed chilli spray But the moment the door came down Mahto charged like a man possessed Armed with a sickle and an axe he slashed at the copsCops slashed but fight backConstables Ravindra Pardhi Sainath Mokal and Samrat Daki risked their lives to grab him In the melee Mahtorsquos sickle ripped through Constable Dakirsquos arm leaving him with a wound that needed six stitches Pardhi and Mokal were also injured but refused to back down Despite all odds the cops pushed forward and after eight hours of chaos they finally overpowered Mahto disarmed him and rescued the family which was shaken but safeAggrieved about a property matter Soban Babulal Mahto a resident of Godse Ali Panvel stormed his residence Mangla Niwas around 830 pm on Wednesday IllustrationsUday MohiteDeputy Commissioner of Police Zone III Prashant Mohite said ldquoThe accused was dangerous armed and even threatened to kill a minor Despite grave risk our men fought valiantly and ensured not a single family member was harmedrdquoSections invokedThe armed 35yearold man proceeded to hold his mother father brother two nephews and 16yearold niece hostage Terrified neighbours meanwhile alerted the policePolice have booked Mahto under multiple sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita including 1091 Abetment of offence 1212 Attempting to wage war against government officers 1272 Obstructing public servants in discharge of duty 132 Assault on public servants 135 Unlawful assembly with deadly weapons 1402 Disobedience to orders by public servants 332B Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant 333 Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant 3512 and 352 Assault and use of criminal force He has also been charged under the Arms Act Sections 4 and 25 for illegal possession and use of deadly weapons The seized weapons are being sent for forensic examination Senior Police Inspector Thakre is leading the investigationNeighbourhood in shockDespite using chilli spray and water to deter the accused four Panvel City police officers sustained injuries before Mahto could be subduedLocals who watched the highvoltage drama unfold are still shaken ldquoThe whole building didnrsquot sleep He had turned his home into a torture chamber We thought he would kill his niece in front of us The cops saved the dayrdquo said an eyewitness