Authorities in Kalyan are set to file a chargesheet within a week in the case of a 12-year-old girl’s rape and murder. The accused, Vishal Gawli, and his wife, Sakshi Gawli, are in judicial custody. Police are working to ensure a watertight case and a fast-track trial.
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The chargesheet in the horrific case of the rape, torture, and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Maharashtra’s Thane district will be filed within a week, a senior official confirmed on Thursday.
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According to PTI, the accused, Vishal Gawli, allegedly abducted the minor with the assistance of his wife, Sakshi Gawli, on 23rd December 2024 from the Chakki Naka area of Kalyan, where she had been playing outside her home.
As per police reports, Vishal Gawli allegedly raped and murdered the girl before he and his wife transported the body in an auto-rickshaw to Bapgaon on the Kalyan-Padgha road, where they dumped it.
The victim’s body was discovered the following day, on 24th December. That same night, authorities arrested Sakshi Gawli, while her husband was apprehended the next day in Buldhana district, PTI reports.
Vishal Gawli, a resident of Kolsewadi in Kalyan tehsil, is reportedly married for the third time to Sakshi Gawli, who is employed at a bank. Both are currently in judicial custody.
According to PTI, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III, Kalyan) Atul Zende told reporters that the investigation is nearing completion, and the chargesheet will be filed against the accused within the next seven days.
Zende emphasised that every effort is being made to ensure a flawless investigation, leaving no loopholes that could be exploited in court.
As per PTI reports, authorities are in discussions with senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam to further strengthen the case and ensure a watertight prosecution against the accused.
Kalyan rape-murder case: Court remands accused couple in 14-day judicial custody
A couple arrested in connection with the Kalyan rape-murder case of a girl in Thane district in Maharashtra was on Saturday remanded in judicial custody till January 18, reported the PTI.
Vishal Gawli allegedly abducted the girl with the help of his wife Sakshi Gawli from Chakki Naka area of Kalyan on December 23 when she was playing outside her house. He allegedly raped and killed her. The couple then took the body in an autorickshaw to Bapgaon on Kalyan-Padgha road and dumped it there, as per police.
The couple's extended two-day police remand ended on Saturday, after which they were produced in the court of District and Additional Sessions Judge VA Patravale in Kalyan.
While police sought further remand of three days, the court rejected the request, Vishal Gawli's lawyer Sanjay Dhanke said, according to the PTI.
During the hearing on Saturday, the victim's lawyers Neeraj Kumar and Sanjay Mishra urged the court to extend Vishal Gawli and Sakshi Gawli's police remand for further probe, but Judge Patravale rejected the plea and remanded the two in 14-day judicial custody, as per the PTI.
The duo were sent in judicial custody till January 18.
The victim's lawyer Neeraj Kumar said police have managed to trace Vishal Gawli's mobile phone, which the accused had sold to a lodge owner in Shegaon in Buldhana district in Maharashtra for Rs 5000.
The accused had told police he had disposed of the phone at Kasara Ghat, Kumar added.
Police officials said the lodge owner has been contacted to ensure the phone is handed over for probe purposes, adding that a motorcycle linked to the crime has also been impounded.
Speaking to reporters later, Vishal Gawli's lawyer Dhanke claimed the accused's family was getting threats from self-proclaimed vigilantes. He sought police protection for the kin of the couple, the news agency reported on Saturday.
(with PTI inputs)
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