Rape-murder accused on the run kills 7-year-old girl in Thane district

A powerloom worker who had been on the run in a rape and murder case involving a sixyearold girl allegedly sexually assaulted and killed another child in Maharashtras Thane district police said on Saturday reported news agency PTIThe police have arrested the 33yearold man in connection with the incident that occurred in Bhiwandi town on October 1 an official saidThe accused allegedly raped and strangled his sevenyearold neighbour and stuffed her body in a gunny sack before fleeing the scene on Wednesday he said reported PTIHe was caught by the police while he was preparing to flee to Madhubani in Bihar on the same night the official said reported PTIAccording to the police the victim had stepped out of her house to relieve herself but never returned Her parents carried out a frantic search and found the small bucket that the girl had carried with her outside the accuseds house which was locked reported PTIThey broke down the door and found the childs body stuffed in a gunny sack police saidThe official said the accused had similarly raped and murdered a sixyearold girl in 2023 and was arrested and lodged in Thane Central Jail reported PTIHe had fled police custody when he was brought to court for a hearing in August and had returned to stay in the victims neighbourhood a few days ago he said reported PTIThe local police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act against the accused the official said reported PTIThane court sentences senior citizen to 3 years RI for molesting minor girls at housing complexIn another case a court in Maharashtras Thane district sentenced a 75yearold man to three years of rigorous imprisonment for molesting two minor girls in a housing complex reported PTISpecial Judge Ruby U Malvankar convicted the accused Pratapmal Hansraj Kothari of charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences POCSO Act and section 354 assaulting or using criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty of the Indian Penal Code reported PTIA copy of the order dated October 1 was made available on SaturdaySpecial public prosecutor Varsha Chandane informed the court that the accused had molested a 12yearold girl who was visiting the complex during her Diwali vacations in 2020 The child informed her mother following which a case was registered and during a probe the police found that the septuagenarian had similarly molested another child in the locality reported PTIThe court relied on the consistent testimony of the victims and electronic evidence including CCTV footage to establish guiltWith inputs from PTI