Police on Tuesday said that the post-mortem report has confirmed that the four-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered in Pune district, died due to asphyxia, reported the PTI.
The incident took place in Narsapur in Bhor tehsil on May 1.
According to officials, the accused allegedly gagged the child by stuffing a cloth into her mouth, which led to suffocation, the news agency reported.
A senior police officer said the autopsy findings indicate death due to lack of oxygen.
Injuries found on victim
The report also noted injuries on the child’s body, indicating the severity of the assault.
Police said the accused allegedly lured the victim with the promise of food before taking her to a secluded cattle enclosure where the crime took place.
Accused has criminal history
The accused, a 65-year-old labourer, has a prior criminal record. He was previously booked in molestation cases in 1998 and 2015 but was later acquitted in both.
He has now been arrested and booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
Protests and public outrage
The incident has triggered widespread anger in the region. Hundreds of villagers gathered outside a local police outpost in Bhor, demanding strict action, according to the PTI.
Protesters also blocked the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway, causing disruption to traffic.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to probe the case in detail.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured that the government will seek the death penalty for the accused and fast-track the trial.
Even the family of the accused has reportedly demanded the strictest punishment in the case.
Sule meets CM
Meanwhile, NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule on Tuesday met the chief minister earlier in the day to demand strict action in the case which has created a furore in the state.
Sule said CM Fadnavis, who heads the Home department, promised close supervision of the case until the accused received the strictest punishment.
Expressing gratitude on behalf of citizens, she said there is faith in both the state leadership and police machinery to ensure that justice is delivered.
“We trust the police system to take the case to its logical conclusion,” Sule said while also raising concerns over rising incidents of violence against women and girls in Maharashtra, as per the PTI.
(with PTI inputs)