A couple in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a 13-year-old girl from Kalyan was produced in court in Kalyan amid heavy police security in the court premises. The Kalyan Additional Sessions and Special POCSO Court remanded them to police custody until January 2 for further investigation into this matter.
The investigating officer sought ten days of police remand for the main accused and his wife from the judge to determine why the accused abducted and murdered her and whether anyone else was involved in this crime. After perusing the evidence on record and hearing from the public prosecutor, the defense lawyer, and the investigating officer, the court granted them seven days of police custody for further investigation.
The main accused, Vishal Gawli, 35, was apprehended from Shegaon in Buldhana on Wednesday and the crime branch Thane brought him to Kalyan on Thursday morning. The police said that after committing the offense, he fled Kalyan and headed to his wife Sakshi's maternal home to evade arrest by the police. The police said that Vishal had shaved his beard in a bid to hide his identity and evade capture by the police. Sakshi was arrested in Kalyan on Tuesday night. Vishal was arrested from Shegaon in Buldhana on Wednesday. Sakshi Gawli, his third wife, and worked in the private bank.
The police said Vishal Gawli is a history-sheeter, with four cases, including sexual assault, outraging the modesty of women, and two bodily offences, said senior police inspector Ashok Kadam. The police initially registered an FIR under section 137 (kidnapping) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). After the body was found, BNS section 103(1) (murder), 140(1), 65(2),66,238 and under sections of 4 and 6 the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were added to the case.
The sources said that resident of the locality where Vishal lives said that he committed acts of terrorism in the locality for allegedly assaulting men and molesting women and girls in the area. In 2023, in a POCSO case, the victim's mother told in ABP MAJHA's Reporter Suresh Kate that her daughter returned home from school early due to her health being unwell. The accused stalked and caught my daughter. She managed to escape and went home. I approached the police and filed a case against him. The accused was in jail for around two months. Then he released on bail.
The investigating officer said the girl left home with Rs20 to buy chocolate and snacks on Monday evening when the accused allegedly abducted her. After allegedly killing her, he sought help from his wife to dispose of the body. The girl’s parents lodged a missing person complaint at Kolsewadi police station on Monday evening after searching for several hours. On Tuesday 10am, her body was found near the wall of a graveyard at Bapgaon near Bhiwandi.Police officer Bala Kumbhar said that preliminary investigation has indicated that the girl was sexually assaulted and strangled.On Wednesday, hundreds of locals with their mouths covered with a black cloth took out a protest march and carried banners and placards demanding stringent action against the accused. On Thursday, the body of the girl was handed over to her family members for final rites after conducting the post-mortem at JJ Hospital. Heavy police security has been deployed amid the final rites.
Thousands of Kalyan's people staged a protest against the accused who allegedly killed a 13-year-old girl. They took in the street and demanded that the death penalty be enforced and Justice for victim. The girl's body was transported in a vehicle amid heavy police security and she was taken in the crematorium in Bail Bazar area in Kalyan on Thursday afternoon.Chitra Wagh, a leader from the BJP, visited the Kolsewadi police station and met with family members. She mentioned that she regrets and condemns the incident. She stated that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis keeps a vigil on this incident.
The accused is mentally challenged and has been released on bail in a previous POCSO case. The certificate of mental disturbance will being examined by the police. The government is for the protection of the people. She condemned the accused, stating that they will receive the death penalty. She said that speacial public prosecutor will be appointed for the case.
After the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl from Kalyan, the huge numbers citizens of Kalyan held a candlelight march and chanted slogans demanding justice and the hanging of the culprits. The people of Kalyan East gathered and chanted slogans during the protest amid heavy police force deployed. They demanded stringent punishment for the guilty and called for protection of women in the city. The candlelight march started from the victim's house to Kalyan East near D Ward.