A three-year-old boy was allegedly raped and murdered by a juvenile in Pune after being lured away by him. The body of the victim was found stuffed inside a suitcase. The accused lived in the same neighbourhood as the toddler, and has been detained. This is the second such case that has surfaced in Pune this week.
According to the police, the horrific crime took place on Friday, May 1. The three-year-old suddenly went missing while playing outside his house. His family searched the area extensively, but were unable to find him.
They subsequently lodged a complaint with the police. This prompted officials to launch a search operation, which led them to a house near the toddler’s residence. Inside, they found the child dead.
Initial probe suggested that he was raped before being murdered. A case was then registered under sections 103(1) (murder) and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
ACCUSED CAUGHT OUTSIDE RAILWAY STATION
The investigators relied on technical evidence, including CCTV footage, and confidential information to track down a suspect, who turned out to be a minor.
The investigation revealed that the juvenile is a resident of Bihar. He was allegedly trying to flee Pune, but was caught by the police outside the city’s railway station.
He has confessed to the crimes, the police said. The minor had allegedly lured the toddler to his home using chocolates. The victim’s mother even visited the house looking for her son.
However, she was allegedly misled and sent away by the accused. In an attempt to cover up the crime, the juvenile stabbed and killed the three-year-old boy, per the police.
After the murder, the accused hid the child’s body in a suitcase and fled the scene, the police said.
4-YEAR-OLD GIRL RAPED IN PUNE
The aforementioned incident took place on the same day a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a 65-year-old labourer in a village near Pune.
The elderly man, who has a prior criminal record, has been arrested, and police have assured swift action, including filing a chargesheet within 15 days and conducting the trial in a fast-track court.
According to the police, the incident took place when the accused allegedly lured the girl, who was visiting her grandmother, with the promise of food and took her to a shed in a cattle enclosure.
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(Based on inputs from Shrikrushna Jagannath Panchal)
