A special court in Pune on Monday sentenced a 65-year-old man to death for the kidnapping, brutal rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Nasrapur village.
Calling it a “rarest of the rare” case, Additional Sessions Judge (Special Judge) S R Salunkhe handed down the sentence to Bhimrao Kamble, who was present in court. As the sentence was pronounced, members of the victim’s family broke down.
In the operative part of the judgment, the court said the evidence firmly established aggravating circumstances in favour of the prosecution. “The offences involve grave crimes such as murder and rape, committed by an accused with a prior record and a history of serious assault,” the court observed. Kamble has prior offences involving a 62-year-old woman, a 17-year-old girl, an animal, and now this child, the prosecution had said.
The court had convicted the accused on June 25, within 60 days of the incident, which took place on May 1.
Special Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar said the prosecution had established all charges right from kidnapping and molestation to rape and murder through strong forensic and circumstantial evidence. He argued that the case falls under the “rarest of rare” category, citing 12 landmark Supreme Court judgments.
Misar told reporters that the victim, a young child, was subjected to a prolonged assault lasting 39 minutes. The post-mortem report documented 18 injuries, including evidence of rape, anal penetration and oral assault. The accused’s semen was found on the child’s hand and neck.
The court accepted key evidence including CCTV footage, DNA profiling, medical reports, and potency and mental fitness tests. According to the prosecution, children who last saw the victim being taken away by the accused identified him during a test identification parade. A total of 82 witnesses were examined during the trial.
Police also relied on the “last seen” theory, with Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill stating that the accused continued the assault even after the child’s death.
The defence cited Kamble’s age and his denial of the crime as mitigating factors. Kamble maintained his earlier claim in court, stating that the child was injured after he slipped while taking her to a cowshed. “While I was taking the girl to the cowshed after giving her snacks, I slipped and fell, causing an injury to her head. As she was crying, I laid her on a cot,” he told the court.
The judge urged him to recall the incident and respond, noting he was the first witness to the crime. Kamble largely remained silent except for reiterating his previous statement.
The Incident
The incident occurred on May 1 between 3 pm and 4 pm in Nasrapur village in Pune district. According to the prosecution, Kamble lured the child with snacks and the promise of showing her a newborn calf, took her to a shed near a cattle barn, sexually assaulted her, and killed her by gagging and inflicting chest injuries.
The crime triggered widespread outrage, with protests including a blockade of the Mumbai–Bengaluru highway near Narhe, as residents demanded justice and stringent punishment for the accused.
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