Pune Rural Police on Saturday filed a chargesheet of about 1,100 pages against the 65-year-old man who allegedly raped and murdered a three-year-old girl at a village in Pune district on May 1.

The victim’s mother had on May 2 lodged a first information report (FIR) against him, under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).

The incident had sparked a massive outrage and police assured a chargesheet will be filed in this case within 15 days. A special investigation team (SIT) was formed to investigate the offence.

Accordingly, on Saturday evening, special public prosecutor (SPP) Ajay Misar, Superintendent of Pune Rural Police Sandeep Singh Gill and police inspector Vjaymala Pawar, the investigation officer of this case, submitted the chargesheet in the court, as per BNS sections 137 (2), 103, 64, 65 (2), 74, 140 (1) and sections 4, 6, 8, 12 of the POCSO Act.

Police said the chargesheet includes statements of about 50 witnesses, panchnama documents and CCTV footage, along with FSL reports. Police said the victim and accused were “last seen together” by some witnesses, including children, and their evidence is important to prove the offence.
Misar said the FSL reports were obtained in time and attached with the chargesheet. “The DNA test report and medical evidence in this case is positive,” he said.

Misar said filing the chargesheet within 15 days in such a serious offence was a remarkable job by Pune rural police. Gill said the case will be tried before a fast track court constituted as per the National Mission for Safety of Women.

As per police records, the victim girl was a resident of Pune city, but was currently staying at her grandmother’s house at a village in Pune district. On the afternoon of May 1, while she was playing near a local temple in the village, the accused, having a previous criminal record, allegedly lured her and took her to a cowshed. He allegedly raped the girl, killed her, and then dumped her dead body in cow dung at the spot. Police said the accused murdered the little girl by brutally assaulting her physically.

Later, as the girl failed to return home, her family and locals started searching for her. CCTV footage revealed the accused had taken the girl with him around 3.15 pm. Soon, the girl’s body was found in the cowshed, and the accused was caught.

Police said the accused was found to be a habitual offender. He was earlier booked in two molestation cases. Police said in 1998 he allegedly caused a sexual assault on an elderly woman. Also, in 2015, he allegedly molested his 17 year old niece, for which an FIR was lodged at the same police station in Pune rural under sections of BNS and POCSO Act. But he was acquitted in both cases due to technical reasons, police said.

The accused is currently remanded to judicial custody by a court in Pune. Police officials said a proper investigation has been done and there is strong evidence against the accused, to ensure justice is delivered to the victim girl. An in-camera trial of this case would be conducted before the fast track court.

Speaking to media persons, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the state would urge the court to award capital punishment to the accused.