Pune (Maharashtra), Dec 26: In a shocking case, the Pune Police have arrested a 54-year-old man for the alleged kidnapping, rape and murder of two minor girls in the Rajgurunagar area of the city.

The man, identified as Ajay Das, is accused of committing the heinous double crime with the two siblings aged nine and eight before he absconded, said a police official.

The dual crime occurred on Wednesday when the two girls were playing outside their home around noon, but later suddenly ‘disappeared’.

The family, which was keeping an eye on them, started a frantic search in the vicinity but failed to trace them and finally in the evening lodged a complaint with the Khed Police Station.

Responding promptly, Police Inspector Prabhakar More formed teams to launch a system effort to trace the two missing sisters but did not get any clues.

Late in the night, around 10.30 p.m., the police and the family inspected the two siblings’ room on the upper floors of their building and made the shocking discovery.

The two girls’ bodies were found at Das’ home, in a huge drum filled with water, with their heads below and their feet up, pointing at murder by forcible drowning.

As the discovery created a sensation in the vicinity, the case was handed over to a woman Investigation Officer Snehal Raje, said the officials, while the victims’ bodies were sent to the Sassoon Hospital in Pune for autopsies.

Cracking the whip, the Khed Police launched a manhunt for Das and apprehended him from his hideout in a shady lodging house early in the day (December 26) as he was packing up and preparing to flee out of Maharashtra.

This morning the grieving families along with other relatives, staged a sit-in dharna outside the police station, demanding that the culprit should be given the noose, and refused to accept the bodies of the two little girls.

As per preliminary questioning, Das is understood to have confessed to the double crime and also admitted that he had to kill them to suppress the matter secretly and also prevent them from screaming or attracting attention.

Although the accused was arrested by the police, the girls’ relatives gathered at the Rajgurunagar police station, saying they would not take possession of the bodies till they got justice.

The brutal kidnap-rape-double murder has evoked strong reactions from Nationalist Congress Party (SP) Working President and MLA Rohit R. Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut and Kishore Tiwari and local Congress leaders, who slammed the ruling Mahayuti for what they termed as ‘utter failure on the law-and-order front’.

Thane, Dec 26: A couple has been arrested in connection with the abduction, rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

Coming barely after the Badlapur sexual assault on two nursery class girls in August, this is the second case that has sparked outrage with people demanding the noose for the alleged perpetrators – Vishal Gawli, 35 and his wife Sakshi Gawli, 25.

Vishal Gawli is accused of kidnapping the girl from near her home, where she was playing on Monday, taking her to his house, assaulting, raping, killing and then dumping her body near a cemetery in the neighbouring Bhiwandi town, some 8 kilometres away.

He was spotted purchasing liquor in a restaurant-cum-bar CCTV footage, and the Thane Police formed six teams to hunt him down, finally nabbing him on Wednesday (December 25) with the help of Buldhana Police.

A team of Kalyan Police which has registered the case, took custody of Vishal Gawli from Shegaon Police in Buldhana where his in-laws reside, while his wife Sakshi, who was said to be a party to the heinous crime, was nabbed from outside her house in Kalyan.

The Shegaon Police zeroed in on Vishal Gawli after he stepped out of a salon where he had gone to change his appearance by shaving off his beard.

They handed him over to the Kolsewadi Police Station in Kalyan town (Thane) on Thursday and is likely to be produced before a Kalyan Magistrate Court later in the day.

Initial probe reveals that he was a history-sheeter in sex crimes, facing three molestation cases involving two women and a minor girl, plus two assault cases, he was released on bail in a POCSO case lodged in August 2023 and had been married thrice, with Sakshi being his third wife.

As the matter assumed political overtones, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis spoke to the Thane Superintendent of Police and directed that no efforts should be spared to ensure the death penalty for the accused – both now arrested.

Ruling ally Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde – in whose Lok Sabha constituency – the heinous crime took place, met the victim’s family and assured that the government would ensure that the accused is tried and hanged.

The incident attracted huge flak from the Opposition parties including Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, who said that Thane – the home district of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde – has become a hotbed of gruesome crimes against women and young girls.

Belagavi, Dec 25: The Karnataka Police on Wednesday suspended the Inspector of Khanapur Police Station in Belagavi on the charges of violating the superior officers’ orders by letting BJP leaders inside the police station during MLC C. T. Ravi’s arrest.

IGP (Northern Range) Vikash Kumar Vikash has issued the order of suspension in this regard.

“On December 19, BJP MLC C. T. Ravi was shifted to Khanapur Police Station from the Hirebagewadi Police Station. Strict instructions were given not to allow anyone inside the station. It was also instructed to arrange security with available staff of the police station,” the IGP stated.

“Police Inspector Manjunath Nayak had not made proper security arrangements. The political leaders barged inside the police station. This had created confusion on the premises of the police station. He had failed to prevent the entry of political leaders,” the IGP said.

The IGP said that a suspension order is issued for violating the orders from superior officers, dereliction of duty, negligence and irresponsible behaviour by the officer.

Meanwhile, the development has taken a political turn with the BJP, Dalit and pro-Kannada organisations calling for a Khanapur bandh to protest the Police Inspector’s suspension.

Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar and Home Minister G. Parameshwara held a meeting of police officers in Belagavi.

Talking to reporters, Parameshwara said, “The matter of C. T. Ravi was not discussed in the meeting. The case is currently being investigated by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). When the matter is being investigated, I won’t make any comments.”

“The decision to suspend Manjunath Nayak was taken by the senior officers of the department. The government will not interfere in the matter in any eventuality,” he maintained.

Deputy CM Shivakumar had slammed the BJP leaders for holding a meeting in the Khanapur police station.

A BJP delegation comprising senior BJP leaders from Belagavi, including Anil Benake and Subhash Patil, met IGP Vikas Kumar and Belagavi Police Commissioner Iada Martin Marbaniang on Wednesday and demanded the arrest of the accused who allegedly attacked Ravi at the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha.

The Karnataka BJP delegation had demanded Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to intervene in the investigation of the derogatory remark case involving Ravi and Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar and to ensure a judicial inquiry.

BJP leader R. Ashoka had alleged that police stations have effectively turned into Congress offices in Karnataka and said that he is sceptical about the impartiality of police investigations.

The row erupted on December 19 during a heated debate in the Karnataka Legislative Council.

Ravi allegedly referred to Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, as a “drug addict”. This provoked strong reactions, with Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar calling Ravi a “murderer”. Ravi reportedly responded with an obscene remark directed at Hebbalkar.

The alleged comment led to Ravi’s arrest on charges of using derogatory language against Hebbalkar.

However, following a High Court directive, Ravi was released, creating further political drama.

The Congress government has handed over the case to the special wing Criminal Investigation Department (CID) even as the Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti had said that the case is a closed chapter and the police interference is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Minister Hebbalkar challenged Ravi to swear before Lord Manjunatheshwara at the famous Hindu pilgrimage centre in Dharmasthala in Karnataka, regarding his alleged use of derogatory words against her in the Legislative Council.