Cops hunt gang-rape accused; negligence costs PSI

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A 16-year-old girl was abducted and gang-raped for three days. Police have now identified four accused in this serious crime, but they remain at large.

The crime occurred in September 2024, involving five men from Nashik and Dhule. Despite the victim's statement, the case was initially mishandled. Initially, the Cantonment police identified Jayashree Sonawane (Sangamner, Ahilyanagar) and Jaypal Girasé (35, Shirpur, Dhule) as the accused. Despite the victim’s account of the gang rape, the case was ignored. CP Pravin Pawar ordered a new investigation after Lokmat Times's news series highlighted the issue. In the investigation, PSI Narale was suspended for negligence, as confirmed by DCP Shilwant Nandedkar. However, the role of senior officers is critical in POCSO cases. By regulation, a senior committee reviews the charge sheet of POCSO cases. In this case, no one took the matter seriously. Questions remain as to why senior officers failed to address the mistakes in the charge sheet. The newly identified accused are Haji Ansari (Madhya Pradesh), Shivnath Yogi (Rajasthan), and an associate of Haji. Police efforts to locate them in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have been unsuccessful so far. The search continues for justice for this young girl.