Kolhapur : The 35-year-old man accused of murdering a 14-year-old Class IX girl from Mangaon village in Kolhapur was arrested from Sadalga village in the bordering area of Karnataka on Monday. Following the arrest, the villagers ended their indefinite bandh.
The accused was produced before a court, which remanded him to police custody till Oct 23.
Police said the breakthrough came after people spotted the accused having tea at a roadside stall and alerted authorities. Former sarpanch Raju Magdum, who is participating in the agitation, said villagers are demanding the appointment of special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and seeking the death penalty for the accused. Some women who were part of the protest later marched to the accused’s house and pelted stones at it, according to Magdum.
Acting on the tip-off, local police coordinated with Karnataka police, who detained the accused. Police also recovered the motorcycle allegedly used by the accused to flee after the attack. Outside the court premises, tempers flared when a group of women attempted to attack the accused while he was being escorted back to a police vehicle. Police personnel rushed him into the van and whisked him away as the women chased after him. Some of them fell during the commotion. Police personnel were deployed to pacify the crowd and prevent further escalation. Police are continuing to question the accused.
“After producing the accused before the court, we obtained his custody till Oct 23. We will move for the case to be tried in a fast-track court so that justice is delivered to the victim at the earliest.
Following discussions with the police, villagers have also withdrawn their indefinite bandh,” said Amol Thakur, sub-divisional police officer.