12 yrs ago, it was TV set that bore the brunt

Ganesh Bandekar, who shot at his mother, was known for his fiery temper. Ganesh went to meet his mother, who lives with her younger son Rajesh at Aparna Apartment in Irla, Andheri (west), around 8.30pm on Tuesday. “When Vasundhara opened the door, Ganesh asked for Rajesh.

Fearing that he might harm his brother, she shut the door,” senior police inspector Pradeep Shinde said. But minutes later Ganesh returned. This time, he entered the house after breaking one of the glass windows. “The moment Ganesh saw Vasundhara, he fired at her. She survived as the bullet hit the wall.”

Vasundhara raised an alarm, following which Ganesh fled the spot. The police have registered a case of attempt to murder. Ganesh is also wanted in a murder case registered at Dadar police station for killing his step-sister Nisha's husband.

“In 1995 when he had an argument with Rajesh and me, he broke the TV set and other valuables and left the house. Since then I have never seen him,” said Vasundhara. “I had never refused him the property share. But we could not decide everything immediately just because he wanted it.”

Vasundhara owns a 2-BHK flat in Aparna Apartment and stays there with her younger son Rajesh and his family. "The house is the only property we have.

Whenever we would have decided to sell it, I would have given him his share," said Vasundhara. Ganesh, a 12th pass, separated from his family in 1995. Since January this year, he began calling Vasundhara and threatening her with dire consequences if she did not sell the flat soon.

“He had also come home several times but I refused to take him inside the house," said Vasundhara. “I cannot sleep after the incident. I am old and there is no one to help me. There is no police security.”

When DNA brought up the issue of security to DCP Vinoykumar Choubey, he said, “I will instruct the senior police inspector to assign a constable for round the clock security.”

The flat at Aparna Apartment is in Vasundhara's name. Her husband Vasudev, an employee of the Reserve Bank of India, died seven years ago.

“Vasudev had two daughters — Usha and Nisha — from his first wife. His first wife died and the daughters were married and settled. In July, Ganesh killed Nisha’s husband,” Shinde said.