Pune, June 29: A sessions court in Maharashtra pronounced a death sentence on Monday for 65-year-old Bhimrao Kamble, who was convicted last week for the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Pune’s Nasrapur last month.

Pune District and Sessions Court Judge S.R. Salunkhe awarded capital punishment to the convict.

The prosecution had cited 12 key Supreme Court judgments regarding such cases in its arguments, including that this case falls within the category of “rarest of rare” cases defined by the Supreme Court.

Considering the nature of the crime and the brutality involved, the judge, while convicting Kamble, had remarked that the accused does not deserve any leniency or a lighter sentence.

The judge also stated that the injuries found on the victim’s body were sufficient to prove the brutality of the act.

Taking into account a previous sexual assault case against Kamble, the court noted that he is aware of the law and showed no remorse for his actions throughout the trial.

The verdict was delivered within two months of the incident, which occurred on May 1.

The police had filed the charge sheet within 15 days of the incident. Charges were framed on May 28, and final arguments concluded on June 21.

In a chilling reminder of the growing insecurity being faced by the most vulnerable members of our society, the Bhor Taluka region of Pune was rocked by a crime of unimaginable cruelty on May 1. The 65-year-old sexually assaulted and brutally murdered a three-year-old girl, reportedly ending her life by crushing her with a stone.

The incident came to light when the girl went missing in the afternoon, and her family started a frantic search. During the search, her mutilated and bloodied body was discovered.

CCTV footage from the area showed Kamble taking the toddler along, which helped police identify and detain him.

Pune, June 29: Fresh revelations have surfaced in the investigation into the murder of 26-year-old Pune-based realtor Ketan Agarwal, with police sources alleging that his fiancée, Siya Goyal, took nearly Rs 1 crore from him in the name of wedding preparations before transferring the money to her alleged lover, Chetan Chaudhary.

According to investigators, Goyal, 20, and Chaudhary, 22, had meticulously planned the murder well in advance and allegedly charted out a long-term strategy to avoid suspicion after the crime. The two were arrested for allegedly conspiring to kill Agarwal by pushing him off a cliff at Lohagad Fort on June 18.

According to NDTV, police sources claim that Goyal had sought around Rs 1 crore from Agarwal, claiming it was required for wedding shopping and other marriage-related expenses. Instead of using the money for the wedding, she allegedly handed the entire amount to Chaudhary to help him establish his career and improve his financial condition.

Investigators believe the transfer of funds formed a crucial part of the alleged conspiracy. Since Chaudhary came from a financially modest background, he had reportedly told Goyal that he would need around three years to become financially secure.

The two allegedly agreed that after Agarwal’s death, Goyal would remain unmarried for that period to avoid attracting suspicion. Once Chaudhary was financially stable and public attention surrounding the case had subsided, they allegedly planned to marry.

Police suspect the delayed marriage was intended to make the relationship appear unrelated to the crime and eventually gain acceptance from Goyal’s family.

The investigation has also uncovered details about how the alleged murder was executed. Officials said Goyal and Chaudhary had agreed on a pre-decided signal before carrying out the attack.

According to investigators, Goyal was instructed to sit down, either on the pretext of drinking water or tying her shoelaces. This action would indicate to Chaudhary that the opportunity had arrived to push Agarwal off the cliff.

Police believe the signal served a dual purpose. Besides alerting Chaudhary, it also ensured that Goyal was positioned at a safe distance from Agarwal, reducing the possibility that he could grab her while falling.

Call Detail Records (CDRs) have further strengthened the investigators’ case. Sources said Goyal allegedly spoke to Chaudhary approximately 34 minutes before the incident. Police suspect the conversation was the final confirmation before the alleged murder was carried out.

Investigators have also claimed that the conspiracy had been finalised by the end of May and that an earlier attempt to kill Agarwal was allegedly made on June 14.

During that incident, Agarwal reportedly managed to save himself by holding onto nearby bushes after being pushed. Sources alleged that Goyal later claimed the incident was accidental, saying she had pushed him after being startled by a snake.

Following the failed attempt, investigators believe Chaudhary altered the plan. On June 18, he allegedly followed the couple to Lohagad Fort to ensure that Agarwal would not escape a second time.

Meanwhile, another aspect of the investigation has emerged from the statement of the driver who was hired to take the couple to Mumbai airport for a planned pre-wedding trip to Bali.

Driver Vaibhav Jadhav told investigators that Goyal appeared unwilling to travel and claimed that her brother, Sahil forced her into the vehicle after picking her up from Pune. During the drive to Ravet in Pimpri-Chinchwad, the driver alleged that Goyal and her brother had a heated argument.

According to the driver, the journey later continued to Mumbai airport after Agarwal and several of his family members joined them from the Kiwale Lodha area. The planned Bali trip, however, was cancelled after Agarwal reportedly discovered that his passport was missing upon reaching the airport.

Mumbai, June 29: After a three-day manhunt, the Mahim Police have arrested the accused who allegedly launched a life-threatening knife attack on a 35-year-old man, Naveen Prasanna, outside Mumbai Mahim Railway Station following a minor altercation.

The accused, identified as 19-year-old Anas Ansari, was arrested from Mumbai’s Wadala area. Police are still searching for the knife used in the crime, which has not yet been recovered.

A senior police official said that the arrest was made after investigators examined footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras to trace the accused’s movements.

Based on the surveillance footage, the police tracked Ansari to Wadala, where he was apprehended. During the investigation, police learned that the accused had allegedly discarded the knife after the attack. Efforts are underway to recover the weapon, and Ansari is currently being interrogated.

The accused had been absconding since the violent incident, which took place on the night of June 25. According to the police, Ansari is originally from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. A case has been registered against him under Sections 109(1), 352, and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the police, the victim, Naveen Prasanna, is a resident of Qureshi Mahal Compound in Pitambar Lane, Mahim, and works as an office boy at a private company in Lower Parel.

On the night of June 25, at around 10 p.m., Prasanna was returning home after work. He had travelled from Lower Parel to Mahim by a slow local train. While walking through the station premises, he accidentally bumped into another man, causing the mobile phone in the latter’s hand to fall to the ground.

Although Prasanna immediately apologised for the accidental collision, the accused allegedly became enraged, chased him, and attacked him with a knife. Prasanna sustained serious injuries and was rushed to Sion Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.

The latest incident follows another shocking case reported on June 22, in which 22-year-old Mayank Lohar was allegedly stabbed to death inside a moving Mumbai local train following an argument over whether the coach door should remain open during heavy rainfall.

According to the Government Railway Police (GRP), Lohar and the accused, Roshan Suvarna, had boarded the train at Andheri station. The argument escalated while the train was travelling between Andheri and Borivali stations, after which Suvarna allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Lohar in the abdomen, leaving him critically injured. The 30-year-old accused was later arrested from Kurla following a citywide manhunt involving six Railway Police teams.