Confronted with CCTV clips, Pune child rape-murder accused says girl got hurt after fall

5 min readPuneJun 19, 2026 04:40 PM IST

While the court recorded the Pune rape and murder accused's statement, he twas also confronted with CCTV footage and prosecution evidence. (Image generated using AI)

A special court in Pune Friday recorded the statement of the 65-year-old man charged with raping and murdering a three-year-old girl in May, with the accused denying the allegations and claiming the child was injured after he accidentally slipped while carrying her.

Special Judge S R Salunkhe posed multiple questions to the man after he was physically produced before him around 11 am, with the Special Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar appearing virtually. Special Judge Salunkhe asked the questions pertaining to the sequence of events before and during the crime on the basis of submissions made by about 54 witnesses, including his cousin, during the trial.

While the court recorded the man’s statement under Section 351 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which allows the judge to question the accused directly and ensures they have the right to be heard, the man was also confronted with CCTV footage and prosecution evidence.

A brutal assault and murder

According to the prosecution, the accused lured the girl from a spot near a temple in the village in the Pune district on the afternoon of May 1 and took her to a cowshed located nearby, saying he would give her a snack and show her a calf.

The prosecution has said he allegedly raped the girl, gagged her with a cloth, and then killed her by brutally assaulting her with his hands. The prosecution has also claimed that after killing the girl, the accused also sexually assaulted her body. He allegedly tried to destroy the evidence of his crime by dumping the body in the cowshed.

When the girl failed to return home, her family and villagers started searching for her, but her body was found in the cowshed, and the accused was caught. Subsequently, the police arrested him.

The prosecution has also claimed that the accused’s semen was found on the girl’s body and that a DNA test has confirmed it.

CCTV footage and denial

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The accused was shown CCTV footage of him buying gathi shev at a local shop. While he initially denied that the man in the clip was him, he later identified himself after watching it multiple times in the packed courtroom.

He was then shown another footage in which he was seen holding the girl’s hand and walking with her towards the cowshed at around 3.12 pm. He identified himself in this CCTV footage, but said he did not know the girl.

The accused was shown another clip captured by the same CCTV at the same spot, in which he was seen returning alone around 3.51 pm.

Based on the two CCTV videos, Special Judge Salunkhe noted that the accused went to the cowshed with the girl, but she was missing when he returned. “What happened to the girl?” the court asked the accused.

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The accused said the girl was with him in the cowshed and he did give her some gathi shev, but later, when he lifted her, he slipped and collapsed on the ground. “Due to it, the girl sustained injuries to her head and started crying. I kept the girl on a cot in the shed. Assuming that people would blame me for assaulting her, I left the spot,” the accused said.

He added that two villagers caught him after 10 minutes. Soon, the police nabbed and questioned him for murdering the girl. The accused claimed that he came to know from the police that the girl had died.

Special Judge Salunkhe also questioned the accused about his cousin’s claim that he had allegedly engaged in unnatural sex with an animal decades ago, which the accused denied.

The court further questioned him about the two cases against him for allegedly attempting rape to rape an elderly woman in 1998 and molesting his 17-year-old niece in 2015. The accused said he was acquitted because he had not committed the crimes.

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The Pune Rural police filed a over 1,000-page chargesheet against the accused on May 16 under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

Charges were framed against the accused on May 28. Final arguments in this case will begin Saturday.

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Chandan Haygunde is an Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With over 20 years of experience in journalism, he is one of the region's most authoritative voices on crime, national security, and legal affairs.

Professional Profile

Specialization:

He specialises covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the ‘Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation’ in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He is at the helm of the widely read weekly series “Pune Crime Files”. He is widely recognized for his deep-dive coverage of the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and the Elgaar Parishad investigation.

Key Beats:

His portfolio includes covering crimes mainly under the jurisdiction of Pune City, Pune rural and Pimpri Chinchwad Police, along with the sensitive cases from the state, being investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Background:

Before his long tenure at The Indian Express, he worked with other Marathi and English publications, giving him a unique grassroots understanding of Maharashtra's socio-political landscape.

Awards and Recognition:

He got the CMS PANOS Young Environment Journalist Award in January 2014 for investigative reports on illegal activities in Sahyadri Tiger Rerserve.

He received the award for outstanding investigative journalism by the Lokmat group in Pune in January 2020, “Missing since 2010, Pune youth a ‘Maoist Commander’ in Chhattisgarh”, which appeared on July 9, 2019.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

In recent months, Chandan’s reporting has focused on high-profile terror case investigations, inter-state firearms racket, leopard movements in Pune city, cyber scams and hearings of the Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry.

1. High-Profile crimes and terrorism cases

“Techie linked to Al-Qaeda preached democracy is against Shariat” (Nov 17, 2025).

Reporting on the ongoing investigation into the arrest of IT professional Zubair Hangargekar (37) from Pune for alleged terror links.

“The case against Jyoti Jagtap, member of ‘Maoist front’ Kabir Kala Manch and Elgaar Parishad organiser, granted interim bail by apex court” (Nov 20, 2025)

Tracking the updates in the high profile Elgaar Parishad case related to the alleged naxal activities in urban areas.

“How NIA arrested doctor turned ‘ISIS recruiter’ in Maharashtra terror module case” (Nov 24, 2025)

After the arrest of doctors in Delhi Red Fort blast, a report on alleged terror links of a consulting anaesthetist from a Pune hospital.

“A year after loco pilot averts tragedy by spotting gas cylinder on railway track, probe still inconclusive” (Dec 8, 2025).

Report on the unsolved case of a suspected sabotage incident, which could have derailed a train.

“No records of Sambhaji Maharaj’s cremation available: Author, ex-IAS officer Vishwas Patil tells Koregaon Bhima panel” (Dec 1, 2025)

Reporting on a sensitive issue related to the Koregaon Bhima violence.

2. Inter-state firearms racket

"Pune police swoop down on ‘village of pistols’ in Madhya Pradesh; 36 detained, 50 kilns destroyed" (Nov 22, 2025)

"Recce a week before, microplanning: how Pune police raided ‘village of pistols’ in MP" (Nov 24, 2025)

Reporting on the illegal gun manufacturing units in Umarti village, Madhya Pradesh

3. Cybercrime & Financial Scams

“Pimpri Chinchwad police arrest ‘bank account supplier’ with links to China, nationwide cyber scams" (Nov 27, 2025)

An investigative look at the modus opernadi of international cyber-gangs cheating high-earning professionals across the country

‘Your case linked to Pahalgam terrorist’: Pune businessman loses Rs 1.44 crore to fraudster posing as NIA chief" (Oct 18, 2025)

Report on the tricks played on cyber scammers cheating people through digital arrest frauds

Signature Style: The Investigative Hit

Chandan is known for his ability to cultivate deep-cover sources within the police and intelligence agencies. His writing often goes beyond the "police version" of events, providing historical context and identifying systemic lapses. He is particularly respected for his balanced reporting on sensitive communal issues and his persistent tracking of the Maoist urban-link cases, making his columns essential reading for legal experts and policymakers.

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pune police

Pune rural

rape and murder case