Thane: The wife of the main accused in the rape and murder of a 13- year-old girl in Kalyan helped him dispose of the body, according to police.
About The Case
Vishal Gawli and his wife Sakshi took the child’s body in an auto-rickshaw to Bapgaon in Bhiwandi, and dumped it near a graveyard, police sources said on Sunday. Gawli called an auto-rickshaw after committing the crime, and the driver handed him the vehicle and left, the sources said. The accused drove the rickshaw while his wife sat in the passenger seat, with the girl’s body next to her, they said.
Gawli and Sakshi travelled 13 kilometres to Bapgaon to dispose of the body, the sources said. The police said they were reviewing more than five dozen CCTV cameras installed along the route. They have already seized the auto-rickshaw and are questioning the driver. Meanwhile, residents of Shivaji Colony in Kalyan (East) are protesting against the rape and murder of the girl.
On Sunday the local ‘sarvajanik mandal’ made an effigy of Gawli and hanged it in the middle of the road. They attached a placard to the effigy stating that Gawli should receive the death penalty. Kishor Kolawade, a resident of Kalyan (East), said that he, along with other residents, will burn an effigy of Gawli within two days. Atul Zende, deputy commissioner, Kalyan, said a police team visited Shivaji Colony and removed the effigy in an effort to maintain peace and harmony.
The sources said they have started the procedure for seeking cancellation of bail for Gawli, which he had received in previous cases. The police have also sent letters to hospitals in Ulhasnagar, Thane, Mumbai and Kalyan asking them if they issued any certification of mental illness for Gawli, the sources said. The police stated that a total of eight criminal offences, including POCSO, have been registered against him. In all the cases, the police are preparing legal action for the cancellation of his bail.
