Pune, May 2: A 65-year-old man with criminal record has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and murdering a four-year-old girl in Bhor tehsil of Pune district, police said on Saturday, as the incident led to angry protests in the area.
The accused, who works as a labourer, allegedly lured the girl with the promise of food on Friday and took her to a cattle enclosure where he sexually assaulted her and later killed her by hitting her with a stone, said a police official.
He was arrested on the basis of CCTV footage from a private residence which captured him with the child. A case was registered against him under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
He was later produced before the sessions court in Pune which remanded him in police custody till May 7.
Members of Maratha organisations tried to block the police vehicle carrying the accused on the court premises.
The incident triggered massive outrage in Bhor area, with hundreds of villagers rushing to the local police outpost and demanding action against the accused. They also staged a blockade on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway. Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill assured the villagers that a charge sheet will be filed in the case within 15 days and the trial will be expedited.
“The accused has criminal history, with cases registered against him in 1998 and 2015. He was acquitted in both cases. He is a labourer and typically wanders around the village and occasionally takes up jobs,” he told reporters. (PTI)
