Exactly six year after he brutally murdered a three-year toddler in Kashimira, the accused Babasaheb Gautam Vaakle (now 28) was sentenced to life imprisonment after being proven guilty of the crime by the district sessions court, Thane on 31, March, 2022.
District Judge, R.S.Gupta delivered the judgment. The murder was the fallout of a property dispute. The 3-year-old boy had mysteriously disappeared while playing outside his tenement in Kajupada on 22, March 2016. A week later, the police recovered the toddler's body, stuffed inside a bag in the jungles behind an ashram on the Ghodbunder road.
Based on the suspicion raised by the children's parents, and the discrepancies in his statements, a police team led by Police Inspector (crime), Rajendra Kamble, arrested their neighbour, Babasaheb Gautam Vaakle, a driver who operated an illegal cab service between Thane and Kashimira.
Initially, Vaakle kept denying his involvement, however, after rounds of sustained interrogation, he had confessed to the crime. Supported by strong evidence, investigating officer, PI Rajendra Kamble filed a watertight charge sheet against the accused which led to the conviction.
While the public prosecutor in the case was Varsha Chandane, police personnel Shashi Patil and PSI Kakde followed up on the case. Apart from life imprisonment, the court also slapped fines amounting Rs. 40,000 for being convicted under various other sections of the IPC, failing which the convict will have to spend more time in jail. However, another accused who was charged for ordering the killing was acquitted due to lack of concrete evidence.
