Beed: Absconding POCSO Accused Dies By Suicide In Parli Vaijnath

Beed: A youth who had been absconding after allegedly attempting to murder a 17-year-old girl and being booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was found dead after allegedly dying by suicide on the outskirts of Parli Vaijnath town on Tuesday morning.

The deceased, identified as Akash Ram Khatik, was found hanging from a lemon tree on a hill behind a government college on Ambajogai Road, on the outskirts of Parli Vaijnath.

According to police, the incident involving the minor girl took place on July 26 at around 1.30pm in a village in Parli Vaijnath tehsil. Based on the victim's complaint, a case was registered against Khatik at Parli Rural Police Station later that night under relevant provisions of the BNS and the POCSO Act. He had been absconding since the FIR was registered.

On Tuesday morning, local residents spotted the body of a young man hanging from a tree in the hilly area behind the college and alerted the police. Teams led by Parli City Police Inspector Raghunath Nachan and Parli Rural Police Inspector Malhar Shivarakar reached the spot. The deceased was identified as Khatik, following which the body was sent to the Parli Sub-District Hospital for post-mortem examination.

His last rites were performed later in the day at the public crematorium in his native village. Khatik had completed his ITI education and is survived by his parents and a brother.

The victim, aged 17 years and 11 months, and the accused were neighbours in the same village. According to the FIR, Khatik allegedly entered the girl's house, bolted the door from inside, and confronted her, asking why she was not speaking to him. He allegedly pushed her to the ground, sat on her, attempted to strangle her with both hands, and attacked her with a sickle, causing serious injuries to her left shoulder.

Following the incident, Parli Rural Police registered offences under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 8 and 12 of the POCSO Act. The investigation had been assigned to Assistant Police Inspector Shendge of the Pink Patrol team.

However, before police could arrest him, the accused allegedly died by suicide, police sources said. Further investigation is being carried out by Parli City Police.