According to Thane police officials, a 23-year-old caretaker who was being investigated for child sexual assault in Badlapur died on Monday after a police confrontation on the Mumbra bypass in the Thane district.
Senior Thane police officers claim that when the accused reportedly stole a policeman’s pistol and fired at a police team escorting him in an attempt to elude arrest, policemen shot the accused dead in retaliation.
Police said the accused fired total three rounds and a police officer sustained an injury in the incident. He was, however, killed in the police firing.
A senior police officer told the news agency that the cross-firing happened while the accused was being brought to Thane by the Thane crime branch investigators in relation to the investigation into a different charge filed by his second wife in 2022, which claimed that he had sexually assaulted her in an unnatural manner.
He was admitted to Taloja jail, according to the police, and he was released at 5:30 p.m. The police officer claimed that at the time of the cross-firing, he was being led to Thane for additional investigation by a team from the Thane crime division. In the school’s lavatory on August 12 and 13, two four-year-old youngsters were reportedly sexually molested by the accused.
One of the victims told her parents about the incident, which led to its discovery. Following medical testing that verified the girls’ sexual abuse, the first FIR was filed on August 16 and he was arrested on August 17.
The state saw widespread demonstrations in response to the reported delay in filing the FIR and the inadequate security protocols for students in educational institutions.
Last week, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a IG-rank IPS officer Aarti Singh filed chargesheet in both the cases before the special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court in Kalyan. The SIT said it has built a strong case against the accused.
