A couple has been apprehended in relation to the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a 13-year-old girl in the Thane district of Maharashtra. This incident follows closely on the heels of the Badlapur sexual assault involving two nursery school girls in August, marking the second case that has incited public outrage, with demands for capital punishment directed at the alleged offenders—Vishal Gawli, aged 35, and his wife, Sakshi Gawli, aged 25.
Vishal Gawli is alleged to have kidnapped the girl while she was playing near her home on Monday, subsequently taking her to his residence, where he is accused of assaulting, raping, and murdering her before disposing of her body near a cemetery in the adjacent town of Bhiwandi, approximately 8 kilometers away. He was identified on CCTV footage purchasing alcohol at a restaurant-bar, prompting the Thane Police to establish six teams to locate him.
He was ultimately apprehended on Wednesday, December 25, with assistance from the Buldhana Police. A team from Kalyan Police, which has registered the case, took custody of Vishal Gawli from the Shegaon Police in Buldhana, where his in-laws live. His wife, Sakshi, who is believed to have been complicit in the crime, was arrested outside their residence in Kalyan. The Shegaon Police tracked Vishal Gawli after he emerged from a salon, where he had altered his appearance by shaving his beard.
He was subsequently transferred to the Kolsewadi Police Station in Kalyan and is expected to be presented before a Kalyan Magistrate Court later today. Preliminary investigations indicate that he has a criminal history related to sexual offenses, with three molestation cases involving two women and a minor girl, in addition to two assault cases. He had been released on bail in a POCSO case filed in August 2023 and has been married three times, with Sakshi being his third spouse.
As the case gained political significance, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis communicated with the Thane Superintendent of Police, emphasizing that all necessary measures should be taken to secure the death penalty for both arrested individuals. Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, representing the Lok Sabha constituency where this grievous crime occurred, also commented on the situation.
