Pune: 5-year-old girl kidnapped, sexually assaulted and killed; 30-year-old accused arrested

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A five-year-old girl from Maval taluka in Pune district was allegedly kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death by a 32-year-old man known to her family, Pimpri Chinchwad police said. The suspect was arrested early Sunday morning.

According to the police, both parents were at work on Saturday evening. When the mother returned home later that night, she found her daughter missing. The family searched the surrounding area but could not locate her. Around 11.30 pm, they approached the police to report the child missing, The Indian Express reported.

“Since this involved a minor, a kidnapping case was registered immediately,” a senior police officer said. Multiple teams, including local police and the crime branch, were deployed to trace the girl. Based on technical leads, including CCTV footage, the suspect was identified, and a large-scale search operation was launched.

The suspect was arrested early Sunday. During questioning, he confessed to strangling the girl and revealed where her body had been kept.

“The girl’s body has been sent to the state run Yashwantrao Memorial Hospital for a post mortem examination and a full forensic analysis of the evidence is being conducted. Preliminary probe points to sexual assault. The detailed medical reports are awaited and accordingly relevant legal provisions will be invoked,” said the officer.

As per the police, preliminary investigation indicates that the girl and her brother were playing nearby when the suspect lured her with chocolate. Further inquiry is underway to determine the exact sequence of events. The accused has been booked under the section of 137(2), 64(1), 65(2), 103(1), of the BNS and sections 4, 5 (I), 5 (M), 6, 8, 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012.

Both the victim’s family and the accused are originally from outside Maharashtra and had relocated to Pune for work.