The Nashik Rural police arrested a 24-year-old man soon after he allegedly kidnapped, raped and brutally murdered a three-and-a-half-year-old girl by crushing her head with a stone. As news of the incident spread, residents of villages around Malegaon erupted in anger, staging protests and blocking the Malegaon–Kusumba Road.
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A senior officer from the Malegaon Taluka police confirmed that the situation, though tense for a few hours, has been brought under control. The accused, Vijay Khairnar, a 24-year-old fabric worker from the same village, was taken into custody, produced before the court, and remanded to police custody till November 20.
According to officials, the child had gone out to play on Sunday afternoon and failed to return home by 6 pm, prompting her parents and relatives to begin a search for her. A missing complaint was lodged after two-and-a-half hours. Later that night, villagers searching the area discovered her body near a mobile tower barely 300 metres from her home. Her disfigured face immediately indicated that she had been murdered, after which the police were alerted.
During the investigation, children who had been playing with the victim informed officers that she was seen last with the accused. He was detained for questioning, during which he confessed. “The accused did not want his act with the victim should come out. So, he killed the victim,” said police inspector Pritam Chaudhary of the Malegaon Taluka police station.
The police sent the victim’s body to Malegaon General Hospital for post-mortem. Given the gravity of the crime, officials launched an immediate investigation that led to Khairnar’s arrest. Villagers have demanded that the trial be conducted in a fast-track court, a police officer said.
