A Maharashtra court has remanded a couple in judicial custody until January 18 for their alleged involvement in the abduction, rape, and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Thane district.
Vishal Gawli and his wife Sakshi Gawli were arrested for their role in the heinous crime, which has sparked widespread outrage.
According to the police, Vishal Gawli abducted the girl from Kalyan’s Chakki Naka area on December 23, with the help of his wife. He allegedly subjected the minor to brutal rape and murder, before dumping her body in Bapgaon on Kalyan-Padgha road.
The couple’s police remand ended on Saturday, after which they were produced in the court of District and Additional Sessions Judge VA Patravale in Kalyan. The police sought a three-day extension of their remand, but the court rejected the request.
Instead, Judge Patravale remanded the couple in 14-day judicial custody, despite the victim’s lawyers, Neeraj Kumar and Sanjay Mishra, urging the court to extend their police remand for further investigation.
In a significant breakthrough, the police have recovered Vishal Gawli’s mobile phone, which he had sold to a lodge owner in Shegaon in Buldhana district for Rs 5000. The accused had initially claimed that he had disposed of the phone at Kasara Ghat. The lodge owner has been contacted to ensure the phone is handed over for probe purposes, and a motorcycle linked to the crime has also been impounded.
Vishal Gawli’s lawyer, Sanjay Dhanke, claimed that the accused’s family was receiving threats from self-proclaimed vigilantes. He sought police protection for the kin of the couple.
The case has sparked widespread outrage, with local residents demanding justice for the victim. The court’s decision to remand the couple in judicial custody is seen as a step towards ensuring that justice is served. As the investigation continues, the police are working to gather more evidence and build a strong case against the accused.
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