Maharashtra horror: 7-year-old murdered, raped by killer on run
BHIWANDI : A 32-year-old powerloom worker who allegedly raped and murdered a seven-year-old girl in Bhiwandi in 2023 and fled from a court two months ago struck once again barely 2km away on Wednesday. He allegedly raped and strangled a seven-year-old neighbour, left the body in a gunny sack and fled. He was caught the same night while trying to escape to his hometown in Bihar's Madhubani.
The child bore scratch marks on multiple body parts, indicating that she had fought back. The suspect was produced before a court, which sent him to eight days of police custody . A senior Nizampura police officer said action will be taken against the owner of the house who rented it out to him without notifying police.
Police said the suspect moved into the house next to the seven-year-old's home just three days prior. On Wednesday, when she stepped out to use a public toilet, he allegedly lured her with food, took her into his house, raped and strangled her, and escaped.
Worried that the child hadn't returned, her parents began looking for her. In the evening, they noticed that the suspect's house was locked from the outside. They spotted their daughter's mug through a window. The door was broken down and the body was found in a sack. The parents rushed to a hospital, where doctors said she had been raped and murdered.
The crime's similarities with a Sept 2023 rape-murder case—a six-year-old girl was also lured with food then, raped and strangled, and left in a bucket inside a locked room —prompted police show that suspect's photo to the parents, who identified him as their neighbour. Multiple police teams were immediately formed, and the suspect was traced to Bhiwandi's outskirts and arrested late at night.
Police said following his arrest from Madhubani in the 2023 case, the man was lodged in Thane central jail but managed to escape from court premises before his hearing this Aug. Six police constables who escorted him were suspended for negligence.
Following his escape, a massive manhunt was launched, with his photos circulated across states and railway stations, and a reward announced. Police officials said he had tried to hide out in his hometown, but villagers' protests forced him to leave. He then lay low in Bhiwandi's rural hilly areas before settling on the new house. Police are ascertaining if he committed any other crime during this period.
The girl's devastated parents, who moved to Bhiwandi two years ago and have two other children, sought the death penalty for the suspect. They questioned how he could easily escape from custody and return to strike again.
The child bore scratch marks on multiple body parts, indicating that she had fought back. The suspect was produced before a court, which sent him to eight days of police custody . A senior Nizampura police officer said action will be taken against the owner of the house who rented it out to him without notifying police.
Police said the suspect moved into the house next to the seven-year-old's home just three days prior. On Wednesday, when she stepped out to use a public toilet, he allegedly lured her with food, took her into his house, raped and strangled her, and escaped.
Worried that the child hadn't returned, her parents began looking for her. In the evening, they noticed that the suspect's house was locked from the outside. They spotted their daughter's mug through a window. The door was broken down and the body was found in a sack. The parents rushed to a hospital, where doctors said she had been raped and murdered.
The crime's similarities with a Sept 2023 rape-murder case—a six-year-old girl was also lured with food then, raped and strangled, and left in a bucket inside a locked room —prompted police show that suspect's photo to the parents, who identified him as their neighbour. Multiple police teams were immediately formed, and the suspect was traced to Bhiwandi's outskirts and arrested late at night.
Police said following his arrest from Madhubani in the 2023 case, the man was lodged in Thane central jail but managed to escape from court premises before his hearing this Aug. Six police constables who escorted him were suspended for negligence.
Following his escape, a massive manhunt was launched, with his photos circulated across states and railway stations, and a reward announced. Police officials said he had tried to hide out in his hometown, but villagers' protests forced him to leave. He then lay low in Bhiwandi's rural hilly areas before settling on the new house. Police are ascertaining if he committed any other crime during this period.
The girl's devastated parents, who moved to Bhiwandi two years ago and have two other children, sought the death penalty for the suspect. They questioned how he could easily escape from custody and return to strike again.
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