Pune: A Pune court on Thursday extended the police custody of a 65-year-old man accused of the sexual assault and murder of a four-year-old girl. The Judicial Magistrate First Class Court in Pune ruled that the suspect will remain in police hands until 12th May. This decision comes after his initial custody ended on Thursday. Due to security concerns and the sensitive nature of the case, the accused was produced before the judge through a video conference call.
The case involves a horrific incident that took place in Nasrapur village, located in the Bhor tehsil of Pune district. On 1st May, a young girl was visiting her grandmother for her summer holidays when she went missing in the afternoon. CCTV cameras captured a local man, identified as Bhimrao Kamble, leading the child away by her hand. Police reports say he lured her to a cattle shed by promising to show her a newborn calf.
About The Incident…
Inside the shed, the girl was sexually assaulted and then killed. Medical reports show she died from suffocation after being gagged with a cloth. She also suffered injuries from a heavy stone. The attacker hid her body under a pile of cow dung, where her family later found her. The discovery of the body sparked immediate anger across the region. Local villagers blocked the Pune-Bengaluru Highway for four hours to demand the death penalty.
Bhimrao Kamble is known to the police as a repeat offender. He was previously accused of molestation in 1998 and faced charges for assaulting a relative in 2015. In both past cases, he was acquitted. This history has caused a major political outcry. Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has now ordered a review of how such a repeat offender was free to walk the streets. He also promised to look into stricter rules for sex offenders.
The state government has pledged to take the case to a fast-track court to ensure a quick trial. A special team of six police officers is currently working to finish the investigation. IPS Sandeep Singh Gill, Superintendent of Police for Pune Rural, stated that they aim to file the formal chargesheet within 14 days. Meanwhile, the victim's father has asked political leaders to focus on real justice rather than just giving words of comfort. He wants to ensure the person responsible is never allowed back into society again.
