Pune, A man allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered a nine-and-a-half-year-old girl residing in his neighbourhood in Maharashtra’s Pune district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Pimpalwandi village in Junnar tehsil, they said, adding that the 25-year-old accused, a daily wager, has been taken into custody.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar called the incident “extremely shocking and unfortunate” and directed the police to conduct a thorough probe and ensure stringent action against the culprit. Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said the accused and the victim knew each other.
When the girl was not found in the evening, her family searched for her and later lodged a missing complaint.
“Both the accused and victim lived in the same neighbourhood and belong to the same community,” he said.
“A case has been registered, and the accused has been taken into custody. Further investigation is underway,” Gill added.
Pawar said she would urge Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to have the case tried in a fast-track court.
