10-year-old girl raped, murdered in Pune; neighbour arrested: Police

Police recovered her body near a tree beside a water body in the locality

A 25-year-old man was arrested for the rape and murder of a 10-year-old girl in Pune’s Junnar region, police said on Wednesday.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and a forensic team also visited the crime scene. (Representative file)

According to Pune rural police, the minor girl, a Class 4 student, did not attend school on Tuesday as she was unwell. She went missing while her parents were away from home. When the family could not find her, they approached police and filed a missing person complaint.

As villagers and police searched for the girl, the suspect, a neighbour of the minor girl’s family, joined the search effort. Police grew suspicious of his behaviour and detained him for questioning.

During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting and killing the girl. Police recovered her body near a tree beside a water body in the locality.

The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and a forensic team also visited the crime scene, officials said.

Dhananjay Patil, sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Junnar Division, said the accused has been arrested and further investigation is underway.