Hair cutting assault: A night in Versova where jealousy spoke louder than reason

Illustration/Uday Mohite

It began with a boyfriend praising another woman's hair, but the compliment led to suspicion. In Versova, that suspicion turned into violence when a 21-year-old woman, believing her classmate was close to her boyfriend, allegedly went to the victim's house with two friends, cut her hair, filmed it and threatened to post the video online. The incident took place around 12.30 am on March 25, nearly 18 days after an earlier confrontation where the accused had checked the victim's phone but found nothing. A criminal case has been registered and being investigated by Versova police.

A compliment that didn't stay small

In a college setting where all three knew each other, a casual compliment began to carry weight. The boyfriend repeatedly praised the victim's long hair, something the accused, his 21-year-old girlfriend, began to notice and resent. What may have seemed harmless to one became a point of suspicion for another, slowly turning admiration into doubt.

Suspicion turns into confrontation

Days after checking the victim's phone and finding nothing, the doubt did not settle. On March 25, past midnight, the accused arrived at the victim's Versova home with two friends. What followed was not a conversation, but an escalation, an argument driven less by evidence and more by a belief that something was being hidden.

When insecurity turns violent

In the early hours, the confrontation crossed into violence. The accused allegedly dragged the victim out, cut her hair and had the act recorded by her friends, reducing a personal insecurity into a public act of humiliation. A compliment had spiralled into control, and control into a crime now registered at Versova police station

The case at a glance

Victim 21-year-old college student
Accused 21-year-old classmate, in a relationship since last year
Trigger boyfriend repeatedly complimenting the victim's hair
March 7 Phone checked, no evidence found
March 25 Haircut, video recorded, threats issued
Three accused involved

Victim's statement victim,

‘If someone likes my hair, what can I do? She is a psycho and doesn't trust her boyfriend and fights with him regularly. I want her in jail.'

Expert view

Dr Harish Shetty, psychiatrist, Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital
‘Intense jealousy, when mixed with possessiveness, can lead to emotional hijacking. A small trigger can escalate into violence when reasoning breaks down.'

FIR registered
The victim approached the Versova police, who registered a case under: BNS 329(3), 329(4) 351(2), 3(5)