Two-year-old’s murder in Pune: painter arrested

Pune: The city police have arrested a painter for the sexual assault and murder of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl in Dhayari last week.

Commissioner of Police Rashmi Shukla said on Tuesday that the accused, Ajay Rameshwar Chaure (23), was living in the same dwelling as the victim, and had gotten to know the family well. Chaure used to do minor painting jobs in Dhayari.

“The accused had been living for three years and is believed to have no relatives…he abducted the child by snatching her from the window sometime between Saturday midnight and the wee hours of Sunday last week, and then strangled her following sexual assault,” said a senior police officer.

The child’s father Vijay Shivgane, who hails from Parbhani district, works as a waiter, while her mother, Vidya, sells vegetables.

An FIR was registered at Sinhagad Road police station under Sections 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act on Sunday following a complaint by the parents.

The body was discovered on Sunday morning. Twelve teams, including several from the Pune Crime Branch, were formed to track down the suspect, while over 25 people were interrogated.