Mumbai: The accused in the rape and murder of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in Pune’s Nasrapur had been charged with sexual assault twice before and was acquitted on both occasions, police said, as demands for capital punishment grew louder.
Bhimrao Kamble, 65, a labourer arrested immediately after the 1 May crime, faces charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. A local Pune court remanded him to police custody till 7 May.
A six-member special investigation team (SIT), with two women officers, has been formed to probe the case.
Pune (Rural) Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said a chargesheet would be filed within 15 days and that the trial would be expedited.
“The accused has a criminal history, cases registered against him in 1998 and 2015. In 1998, he was charged with sexual assault and in 2015, he had a case of sexual assault and POCSO against him. He was acquitted in both cases. He is a labourer and occasionally takes up jobs,” Gill told reporters Sunday.
#WATCH | Pune, Maharashtra: Pune Rural Police SP Sandeep Singh Gill says, "…The accused is a 65-year-old man who lives in the surrounding area. He lured the girl and did this…We arrested the accused within an hour of receiving information…The accused has two similar cases… https://t.co/FoW77Hx7t1 pic.twitter.com/mNO1QH0IWD
— ANI (@ANI) May 2, 2026
Police said the girl, who was visiting her grandparents during the summer vacation, was taken to a cattle enclosure while she was playing. CCTV footage from near the spot helped identify Kamble, who was apprehended with the help of villagers. She was allegedly sexually assaulted at the enclosure before the accused smashed her head with a stone. Her body was found covered in dung.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, spoke to the girl’s family and assured them of a fast track trial, and a court demand for capital punishment.
“This is a condemnable and tragic incident. The accused has been arrested. I would like to request the high court to give us a special public prosecutor; we will demand capital punishment in the court,” Fadnavis said, adding that there was no need to politicise the issue and that due process of law would be followed.
As politicians and activists visited Pune to meet the family, the girl’s father issued a public appeal asking them to stay away.
“Many people are coming to meet us. My family and I have only one wish. Until and unless my daughter doesn’t get justice and that demon doesn’t get capital punishment, I humbly request all politicians not to come and visit us,” he said in a statement to the media.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, trained fire on the government over law and order. Former home minister and senior NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Anil Deshmukh demanded that the state implement the Shakti Act.
The law, passed during the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, provides for the death penalty in cases of heinous crimes against women and children. It is pending approval from the central government.
“It is extremely painful that such a shameful incident occurred on Maharashtra Day. These incidents raise a serious question whether the fear of law still exists in the state,” Deshmukh said at a press conference on Sunday.
“Despite rising crimes against women, the Centre and the state government are passing the buck. Had the Shakti Act been implemented, the accused in the Nasrapur case would have been hanged within 15 to 21 days, and it would have been a deterrent,” he added.