BELAGAVI: Belagavi’s legal fraternity is worried after miscreants allegedly opened fire at the residence of advocate Pooja Kakatkar Patil in Bhavani Nagar on Mandoli Road in the city around 2.30 am on April 24.
Patil’s 15-year-old daughter Sanskriti Kakatkar, who was studying in a room on the first floor of the house at the time of the incident, alerted the family about the attack. Police said some unknown persons opened fire at the first-floor window of the house and fled. A mark of bullet impact was found on the window glass.
Advocate Patil, who has been practising law since 2008, is specialised in civil disputes as well as family and domestic cases. She said in her complaint to police that the attack may have been motivated by professional or personal rivalry, with an intention to threaten or kill her.
She said that at first they neglected the sound, considering that it could either be the rain or the pet dog. However, when her daughter sent her a picture of the broken window on WhatsApp on the next day, she informed the police and registered a complaint.
The FIR has been registered under Section 109(1) and Section 27(1) of the Indian Arms Act against unknown persons. Sub-Inspector Lakkappa Jodatti of the rural police station, along with other officials, visited the spot and initiated the investigation. Advocate Patil has requested police protection.
The incident has triggered concern in Belagavi’s legal circles, especially as the attack appears to be a targeted act at the residence of a practicing advocate.