Pune rape, murder of 3-yr-old girl: Accused’s police custody extended to May 12, potency test conducted

According to police, the victim girl was residing with her parents and sister in Pune city, but was currently staying at her grandmother’s house at a village in Pune district.

On the afternoon of May 1, while she was playing near a local temple, the accused allegedly lured her and took her to a cowshed. He allegedly raped the girl, and then killed with “a hard and blunt death”, and then dumped her dead body in cow dung at the spot, police said.

When the girl failed to return home, her family and locals started searching for her. CCTV footage revealed that the accused had taken the girl with him around 3.15 pm. Soon, the girl’s body was found in the cowshed, and the accused was caught.

The Pune rural police formally arrested the accused, after the victim girl’s mother lodged a first information report (FIR) against him, under sections 137 (2), 103, 64, 74, 140 (1), 140 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 4, 3, 8, 12 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

A court had then remanded the accused to police custody till May 7. A special investigation team (SIT) was formed for probing the offence. During investigation, the police recreated the crime scene on May 5, by taking the accused to the spot where the offence took place.

Police said in the CCTV footage showing the accused walking towards the cowshed with the victim girl, he is seen carrying a packet of “Shev (a popular snack)”. Police told the court today that a probe is on to know from where the accused purchased this “Shev” packet.

Police also also recording statements of people who had seen the accused with the victim girl on the day when the rape, murder incident took place.

The incident had sparked massive outrage. An angry mob had blocked the Pune-Satara highway on the night of May 1. Superintendent of Pune rural police assured the protestors that the case would be taken up before a “fast track” court and chargesheet would be filed against the accused within 15 days. Police also promised they would seek capital punishment for the accused.

But still, the next day, the protests blocked off the Mumbai – Bengaluru highway in front of the Suvarna Hotel near the Wadgaon bridge, demanding justice for the victim girl.

So for security reasons and to prevent any law and order situation, the police today produced the accused through video conferencing.

People were upset because the accused was found to be a habitual offender. He was earlier booked in two molestation cases. Police said in 1998 he allegedly caused a sexual assault on an elderly woman. Also, in 2015, he allegedly molested his 17 year old niece, for which an FIR was lodged at the same police station in Pune rural under sections of BNS and POCSO Act. But a special court in Pune had acquitted him in this case in 2019.

Speaking to reporters about the acquittal in the 2015 case, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “The previous offences against the accused would be checked. It will be seen whether there were any lapses…”

In the wake of this incident, Fadnavis also directed the law and judiciary department to draft stringent laws to ensure sexual offenders do not misuse parole. Meanwhile, even the family members of the accused demanded severe punishment for him.