The Thane Crime Branch Unit 5 has arrested a man for allegedly strangling a minor girl, aged between 15 and 16, after kidnapping her from Thane railway station on July 4. Police sources said the accused has been identified as Samadhan Arjun Suryavanshi (40), an auto-rickshaw driver residing in Lokmanya Pada, Thane.
The Kasarvadavali police had registered a case against an unknown person on July 5 under charges of murder and destruction of evidence after discovering the girl’s body. A missing person complaint had also been filed by a family member at the Kalwa police station when she could not be traced.
During the investigation, the crime branch reviewed CCTV footage from the victim’s residence dated July 4. The footage revealed that the girl had left her home and gone to Thane railway station, where she boarded an auto-rickshaw. Based on technical intelligence, the police traced the rickshaw and arrested the driver after confirming his involvement in the crime. He was produced in court and remanded to police custody until July 17.
DCP Amarsingh Jadhav of the Thane Crime Branch said, “Preliminary investigation suggests the accused strangled the girl using a dupatta. We are probing the motive, including the possibility of sexual assault or financial reasons.”
During interrogation, it was learned that the accused took the girl in his rickshaw through Bhiwandi, Mankoli, Manpada, and Thane West. He allegedly strangled her in a secluded spot in the Waghbil area of Thane before dumping the body and fleeing the scene.
