Pune court convicts 65-year-old in 3-year-old girl’s rape-murder case

3 min readPuneJun 25, 2026 01:14 PM IST

According to the prosecution, the accused raped and murdered the girl after taking her to a cowshed, saying he would give her a snack and show her a calf. (Image generated using AI)

A special court in Pune on Thursday convicted a 65-year-old man on charges of raping and murdering a three-year-old girl in May. The sentence will be pronounced on June 29.

The victim’s father told Special Judge S R Salunkhe to set an example by sentencing the accused to death. Citing 12 different Supreme Court judgments, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Ajay Misar also sought capital punishment for the accused, saying he had committed a heinous crime.

CCTV clips showing the accused with the victim, DNA reports, and the statement of the witness who last saw the victim with the man provided crucial evidence against the accused.

The incident occurred on May 1. The girl was at her grandmother’s house in a village in Pune district. According to the police, the accused lured her from a spot near a temple in the village and took her to a cowshed, saying he would give her a snack and show her a calf.

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

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

On May 16, the police filed a massive chargesheet against the accused on charges of rape, murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, etc. Charges were framed against the accused on May 28. The prosecution examined 55 witnesses, including the victim’s family members, members of a local search team, medical officers of Sassoon Hospital, and witnesses who had seen the accused with the victim before her death.

Story continues below this ad

Cold-blooded murder: Special Public Prosecutor

Citing the accused’s history—he had been arrested for allegedly attempting to rape a woman in 1998 and molest his niece in 2015—Misar argued he was beyond reformation and deserved the death penalty. He added that the accused had committed cold-blooded murder.

Defence lawyer Himmatrao Suryawanshi, provided by Legal Aid, said the accused was acquitted in previous cases, cited his age, and added that there was reasonable doubt about the brutality of the crime he allegedly committed. The present offence cannot be termed as a rarest of rare case and life imprisonment is the appropriate punishment, he submitted.

Advocate Vipul Dushing, representing the victim’s family, argued that the inhuman act committed by the accused takes away his right to stay in society. Dushing also pointed out that the accused had a wife, seven daughters and a son, but none of them came to his aid because of his criminal history. He also submitted that the accused had been expelled from his village.

Investigating officer, Police Inspector Vijaymala Pawar, and Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Sandeep Singh Gill, were present in court.

© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd

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.

X (Twitter): @chandan_pune ... Read More

Tags:

Pune news

pune police

Pune rape