Man arrested in minor's sexual assault, murder case in Satara

A 23-year-old man was on Wednesday arrested for allegedly killing a two-and-half-year-old girl here after abducting and sexually assaulting her, police said. The accused, Ajay alias Bablu Rameshwar Choure, works as a painting labourer and was arrested from Satara district of western Maharashtra, a senior police official said.

The girl was abducted from her house, while she was sleeping next to her mother here near Kudale Mala in Dhayari area off Sinhgad Road on Saturday night. She was found dead a day later, barely 50 to 70 metres from her residence. "Choure used to live in the same building where the victim's family lives but left the place two to three months back. However, he often used to come to the vicinity and knew the place.

"While probing the case, we interrogated at least 30 to 40 people living nearby and zeroed down on him. He was apparently was present on that night in the area," Additional Commissioner of Police (South Region) Ravindra Sengaonkar said. He claimed that Choure has confessed to the crime and said he had come to the area on Saturday night and consumed liquor with one of his friends.

"His friend left, but Choure again headed to the liquor shop and bought alcohol. He knew the area and the building where victims' family lived and later he sneaked inside the house and took away the girl," he said. He added that according to Choure, the door of the house was open. "He took the girl near an under-construction site near Kudale Mala, where he sexually assaulted her and strangulated her to death. He then threw the body in the bushes," he added.

He said after the crime the accused slept in the same area and left the city next day. "We will now verify the sequence of events and facts," said Sengaonkar, adding that the accused would be produced in the court tomorrow. On Saturday night, the mother of the girl had woken up to find her missing. She then went to her husband and uncle, who were in the same house. Later, a search of the girl resulted in her body being found a few meters away from their home.