Pune: A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a 25-year-old man in Pimpalwandi village of Junnar tehsil, Pune district, on Tuesday. Police arrested the accused within hours of registering the case, officials said on Wednesday. Court has remanded accused to 13 days police custody.
The incident took place around 2 pm within the jurisdiction of Ale Phata police station. Before the incident, the girl, who was unwell and had not been going to school for a few days, was at home watching television with other children while her parents, who are agricultural labourers, were away at work. When she was not found at home around 4-5 pm, her family and villagers began searching for her. Police were informed around 6-7 pm.
According to police, the accused, a farm labourer and neighbour of the victim’s family, allegedly lured the girl on the pretext of taking her to eat guava and led her about 1 to 1.5 km away from the village. He allegedly took her to an agricultural field with sugarcane crop and a water stream, allegedly raped her, and strangled her to death. The accused, a Class 4 dropout working as a farm labourer, has no previous criminal record, police said.
Superintendent of Pune rural police Sandip Singh Gill said, “The accused lured the girl on the pretext of taking her to eat guava and took her away from the village. He allegedly took her to an agricultural field, allegedly raped her, and strangled her to death.”
{{/usCountry}}Superintendent of Pune rural police Sandip Singh Gill said, “The accused lured the girl on the pretext of taking her to eat guava and took her away from the village. He allegedly took her to an agricultural field, allegedly raped her, and strangled her to death.”
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, a kidnapping case involving a minor was registered at Ale Phata police station around 8.30 pm on Tuesday.
Police subsequently arrested the accused and invoked additional sections of the law in the case. A case has now been registered under Sections 137(2), 103(1), 64(2)(i), 65(1), 65(2) and 66 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Sections 4, 6, 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
The court has remanded the accused to 13 days of police custody.
Dhananjay Patil, sub-divisional police officer, Junnar division, said, “During the search, police received information from a resident that the girl was seen with the accused. Although he was initially among those being questioned as part of the search, police questioned him more closely after receiving the information. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime and led the police team to the spot where the girl’s body was found.”
The girl’s body was recovered near the water stream at a sugarcane field. According to Gill, preliminary information indicates she was strangled. A spot panchnama was conducted, and the post-mortem examination was underway.
Police said there was also an apparent attempt to dispose of or conceal material near the stream, and investigators are examining whether the accused intended to destroy evidence.
Following the incident, deputy chief minister and guardian minister of Pune district, Sunetra Pawar, called for stringent action against the accused. She said efforts would be made to ensure the case is heard by a fast-track court.
Pawar said, “I had spoken to the Pune superintendent of police to take stock of the investigation and directed the police to ensure a fair, transparent and comprehensive probe, and to invoke strict legal provisions against the accused.”
Meanwhile, angered by the incident, residents and local villagers staged a road blockade on the Pune-Nashik highway on Wednesday, demanding swift justice for the victim.
Following assurances from the authorities, the agitation was called off, and traffic resumed.
Gill said police would file the chargesheet in court within 15 days, subject to completion of the necessary investigation and forensic procedures.