A shocking incident has come to light in Thane, where a 38-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his three-year-old niece and attempting to burn her body to cover up the crime. The partially burnt remains of the child were discovered in bushes near a local police station on Thursday, November 21.
The child had gone missing since November 18, and belonged to the sister of the accused. The uncle was identified and arrested from technical inputs and human intelligence. As per the police, the incident started with what the accused termed a “playful slap” in an exchange during family interaction, which ironically resulted in the death of the child.
Post-Crime Activities of Accused
Senior Inspector Anil Jagtap of Hill Line police station reported that the accused, overcome by fear, attempted to destroy the evidence by burning the child’s body. On November 20, the accused, accompanied by his wife and a rickshaw-puller friend, disposed of the body in a bushy area while the public was busy voting in the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
To draw away suspicion, the suspect appeared at the police station with the child’s mother to report the missing child. The family also made social media posts with pictures of the missing child, seeking help in finding her.
Discovery of the Body and Arrest
Tragedy struck the case on Thursday when the rickshaw-puller came across the child’s remains during a search operation conducted by the police. Acting on their findings, officers took into custody two persons for interrogation. The involvement of the uncle finally came to the fore through forensic evidence, technical analysis, and confession.
The accused confessed slapping the child during play to have accidentally killed her and was also revealed to have attempted to burn the body for fear. Ulhasnagar Deputy Commissioner of Police Sachin Gore confirmed the arrest, saying, “We have acted based on technical analysis and the confession given by the accused. We will produce him in court and move for police custody for further investigation.
Community Reaction and Police Investigation
The brutal nature of the incident has sent shockwaves in the local community. The police are holding the investigation to build up a timeline of events and bring to book the criminals behind the cover-up. The interrogations are also looking into whether or not the wife of the accused and the rickshaw-puller were involved in the crime or acted under coercion.
Legal Proceedings to Come
The accused will be produced before the court, where police custody will be sought, and further questioning will be done to find out the motive for the crime and the exact sequence of events that led to the child’s death and subsequent disposal of the body.
This heart-wrenching incident has reaffirmed that negligence and panicking can unleash disastrous situations. Though the accused has claimed that the child’s death was not intentional, subsequent acts in the aftermath have added to the tragedy. The incident has raised questions on prompt justice and questions whether family members and people who witness such cases should also become perpetrators by doing nothing.
The police authorities have assured a detailed probe ensuring justice to the victimised child and her grief-stricken family.
Reported by
Ankitaa Bal
from ‘True to Life’ News Media