Thane: Man held for rape, murder of nine-year-old girl in Bhiwandi

Police at the building where the crime happened

The Shanti Nagar police in Bhiwandi have arrested a 42-year-old man in connection with the rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl. According to the police, both the victim and the accused lived in the same building. On Thursday, the accused allegedly took the girl to his house, sexually assaulted her, and then strangled her to death.

The police reported that the victim, a nine-year-old girl, lived on the second floor of a rented flat in a three-story building owned by a local villager. She lived with her sister and parents, who worked in the power loom industry. The accused, Abhay Yadav, 42, lived on the third floor in a rented flat. Yadav, who is married with two children, is a native of the area, works in a power loom, and stays alone.

The arrested accused, Abhay Yadav, 42

"On Thursday afternoon, the girl's father came home for lunch when she was at home. After lunch, he returned to work and came back at 7 pm to find the girl missing. The family started searching for the girl below the building. Since they couldn't find her, they started searching in the building itself. The father went to the third floor to find a door closed from outside but not locked. When he opened the door he found his daughter unconscious. The family then took her to the IGM hospital and informed the police. The doctors declared her dead on arrival," said a police officer.

After receiving the information, the police went to the spot to investigate further. "Since the girl was discovered in the third-floor room where Abhay Yadav resided, suspicions naturally pointed towards him, as he was missing from the scene. Further investigation revealed that Yadav had lured the girl with chocolates over several days in an attempt to get closer to her. We formed a team and with the help of technical details and human intelligence, the accused was found," said Vinayak Gaikwad, Senior Police Inspector, Shanti Nagar police station.

"We have arrested the accused, who confessed to the crime. He strangled the girl with his hands and killed her. He was produced in court and was remanded in police custody till June 12. We are further investigating the matter and conducting the medical of both to gather further evidence in the case," added Gaikwad.