Pune: Setting a significant precedent for the protection of minors, the Loni Kalbhor Police Station in Maharashtra’s Pune has, within 24 hours of a reported assault on a six-year-old girl, apprehended the suspect and successfully filed a formal charge sheet in court.
The disturbing incident occurred in the Theur area of Haveli Taluka in Pune. According to police reports, the accused, identified as 46-year-old Shridhar Limbaji Kamble, lured the victim, who was playing in her neighbourhood, by tempting her with food. Exploiting the child’s innocence, Kamble allegedly committed the sexual assault. Upon discovering the heinous act, the child’s mother immediately lodged a formal complaint at the Loni Kalbhor Police Station.
Recognising the gravity of the crime and the tender age of the victim, the police initiated an immediate pursuit. Officers tracked Kamble to his hideout and took him into custody without delay.
A case was registered under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, alongside Sections 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. In a move that bypassed the typical months-long legal timeline, the investigative team expedited evidence collection and filed the charge sheet in the court within one day to ensure the accused faces the full weight of the law.
This swift action follows a wave of unrest in the Pune district triggered by a separate, chilling crime of “unimagined cruelty” in the Bhor Taluka region. In that case, a 65-year-old man, Bhimrao Kamble, stands accused of the sexual assault and brutal murder of a three-year-old girl.
A preliminary post-mortem report from Sassoon General Hospital revealed a harrowing level of depravity.
The accused, Bhimrao Kamble, allegedly stuffed a cloth sock into the girl’s mouth during the assault, according to the report submitted by Sassoon General Hospital to the police. Medical findings suggest the victim died due to suffocation and severe physical torture.
(IANS)
