Pune: A 25-year-old man allegedly lured a nine-and-a-half-year-old girl into an isolated field on the pretext of eating guavas before sexually assaulting and strangling her to death in Pimpalwandi village of Junnar tehsil in Pune district on Tuesday, Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The victim girl and the accused were acquainted with each other, as they lived near him. According to SP Gill, the accused took her into a field around 2 pm on Wednesday, telling her they would eat guavas.
“The 25-year-old youth took the nine-and-a-half-year-old, who lived near him and belonged to his community, into a field under the pretext of eating guavas,” Gill said during a press conference. The field was around 1.5 km from the village settlement. The accused allegedly took the girl further inside, into a sugarcane field where a small canal flows. “There, he sexually assaulted and murdered her,” Gill said.
The girl’s family realised she was missing later in the evening. Gill said they informed the police around 6 pm after they could not find her. “When her family members couldn’t find her around 4 to 5 in the evening, they started searching for her,” the SP said.
The Ale Phata police immediately began looking for the girl and initially registered a kidnapping case under Section 137 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). “On Wednesday at 6 pm, her family members informed the police. We dispatched a team and registered a case immediately,” Gill said.
Police questioned people in the area and got a clue that led them to the accused. He was nabbed and questioned. “When we apprehended him and interrogated him, he confessed to raping and murdering the girl. Based on his statement, we went to the crime scene and recovered the girl’s body,” Gill said.
The SP said the girl had been strangled. After the investigation revealed the sexual assault and murder, police added Section 103 of the BNS for murder and Section 65 for rape. Four sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were also added.
“According to preliminary information, the accused seems to have strangled the child, resulting in her death. The accused has been arrested,” Gill said. The inquest panchnama of the girl’s body has been completed, while the post-mortem examination is underway. Further investigation is in progress.
Gill said the police were also responding to concerns raised by villagers after the incident. He personally visited the crime scene and met residents. “I personally met with the villagers regarding their concerns and assured them that a charge sheet will be filed within 15 days,” Gill said.
He added that the police would conduct a speedy investigation and prosecution in the case. The incident has triggered anger in Junnar, with villagers demanding strict punishment for the accused and raising concerns over police presence in the area.
