Man Accused Of Minor's Rape-Murder Found Dead In Navi Mumbai Jail

A man accused of raping and murdering a minor girl in Kalyan town here allegedly committed suicide at the Taloja Central Jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai early on Sunday, police said. The accused, Vishal Gawli (35), was found hanging in the prison toilet at around 3.30 am, they said.

Gawli went to the toilet and allegedly used a towel to hang himself. The prison authorities later found the body, an official from Kharghar police station said.

The local police were immediately informed and a panchnama (spot inspection) was conducted.

The body was sent to the government-run JJ Hospital in neighbouring Mumbai for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of the death, the official said.

Gawli was accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl in Kalyan area of Maharashtra's Thane district in December 2024.

The incident had sparked widespread outrage and demands for swift and stringent punishment for the perpetrators.

The child went missing from Kolsewadi locality on December 24, and the body was found later at Bapgaon village in Padgha under Thane Rural police jurisdiction, officials earlier said.

A probe by Kolsewadi police led to the arrest of Gawli and his wife Sakshi on charges of kidnapping for ransom, rape, murder, causing disappearance of evidence and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The Kalyan police in February this year filed a 948-page chargesheet against the couple.

"Vishal Gawli raped and murdered the girl, while Sakshi helped him dump the body in Bapgaon," a police statement earlier said.

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