Pune: A 25-year-old daily wage worker has been taken into police custody for allegedly sexually assaulting and murdering a nine-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Pune district. The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon at Pimpalwandi village in Junnar tehsil, causing widespread outrage in the local area.
Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandip Gill stated that the accused and the victim were neighbours and belonged to the same community. The suspect allegedly visited the girl’s residence while she was watching television and lured her away on the pretext of offering her a guava. He then took her to a nearby sugarcane field, where he assaulted and killed her before abandoning the body.
The victim’s family initiated a search after she went missing in the evening and subsequently approached law enforcement to file a complaint. During the preliminary investigation, police analysed local closed-circuit television footage that captured the victim in the company of the accused. Upon detention and interrogation, the suspect confessed to the offence and led investigators to the location where the girl’s body was concealed.
The body was subsequently retrieved and sent for a post-mortem examination. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar termed the tragedy deeply disturbing and assured that strict legal action would be pursued. After reviewing the investigation with the district police leadership, Pawar confirmed intentions to request Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to place the trial before a fast-track court for prompt adjudication.
