Couple Arrested for Abduction, Rape, and Murder of 13-Year-Old Girl in Thane District
Thane, 26th December 2024: A couple has been taken into custody in connection with the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Thane district. This incident follows closely on the heels of a similar case in Badlapur involving the assault of two nursery-age girls in August, igniting strong public outcry for the harshest penalties against the accused, Vishal Gawli, 35, and his wife, Sakshi Gawli, 25.
Vishal Gawli is alleged to have kidnapped the girl from near her home while she was playing on Monday. He reportedly took her to his residence, where he assaulted, raped, and murdered her before disposing of her body near a cemetery in the nearby town of Bhiwandi, approximately 8 kilometres away.
CCTV footage captured him buying alcohol at a bar, prompting the Thane Police to assemble six teams to track him down. He was ultimately arrested on December 25 with the assistance of the Buldhana Police.
A Kalyan Police team, which is handling the case, took custody of Vishal Gawli from the Shegaon Police in Buldhana, where he had been staying with his in-laws. His wife Sakshi, believed to have been involved in the crime, was apprehended outside their home in Kalyan.
Authorities located Vishal after he emerged from a salon, where he had altered his appearance by shaving his beard. Following his arrest, he was transferred to the Kolsewadi Police Station in Kalyan and is expected to be presented in court later today.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Gawli has a criminal history involving sex crimes, with three past molestation cases linked to two women and a girl, and two assault cases. He was previously released on bail related to a POCSO case filed in August 2023 and has been married three times, with Sakshi being his third spouse.
The case has drawn political attention, prompting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to contact the Thane Superintendent of Police and ensure all efforts are made to pursue the death penalty for the arrested couple. Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, whose Lok Sabha constituency encompasses the crime scene, met with the victim’s family, promising that the government would work to secure a swift trial and execution for the offenders.
The incident has provoked significant criticism from opposition parties, including Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut, who remarked that Thane, the district of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has become a focal point for violent crimes against women and minors.
