A special court in Pune on Monday sentenced a 65-year-old man to death for the abduction, rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Maharashtra's Nasrapur village, describing the crime as falling under the "rarest of the rare" category.
Additional Sessions Judge and Special Judge S R Salunkhe awarded the death penalty to convicted accused Bhimrao Kamble, who was present in court when the sentence was pronounced. The court had convicted Kamble on June 25, less than two months after the crime took place on May 1.
As the verdict was delivered, members of the victim's family broke down inside the courtroom.
Also Read | Telangana student found dead in London, family says, 'We still do not know what exactly happened'
Court cites brutality and lack of mitigating factors
Reading out the operative portion of the judgment, Judge Salunkhe observed that the prosecution had established multiple aggravating circumstances against the accused.
"The offences relate to the commission of serious crimes like murder and rape by an accused with a prior record and a substantial history of serious assault," the judge said, per a report by India TV.
#WATCH | Pune | Advocate Vipul Dushing, representing the victim, says, "...All the parameters required to convict a person and award a death sentence have been fulfilled here. The nature of the crime is extremely barbaric; the accused committed the offence solely to satisfy his https://t.co/Rzq0yXplHJ pic.twitter.com/IHYuTMomMa
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2026
The court further observed that the victim, an "innocent and helpless child", was subjected to inhuman treatment and torture, and that the crime reflected "total depravity".
"The murder was committed to satisfy lust. It was a cold-blooded murder without provocation. The crime was committed so brutally that it shocks not only the judicial conscience but even the conscience of society," Judge Salunkhe was quoted as saying by India TV.
The court also held that there were no mitigating circumstances in favour of the accused. Referring to Kamble's age, the judge noted that being 65 years old could not be considered a mitigating factor and instead added to the gravity of the offence.
Crime had triggered statewide outrage
As per the prosecution, the incident occurred on May 1 at Nasrapur village in Bhor tehsil of Pune district. The accused is said to have enticed the girl with promises of food and by showing her a baby calf.
Also Read | Who is Faiyaz Premji? The man accused in the Muharram poisoning plot
The accused, according to the investigation conducted, sexually assaulted the girl and then murdered her by strangling and causing injuries leading to her death. The crime had evoked protest across Maharashtra demanding speedy justice for the accused.
Kamble, as per the police report placed before the court and cited by India TV, was found to be arrested in cases of molestation in 1998 and 2015 respectively but was acquitted in both the cases. The laborer by profession had a previous criminal record.
The conviction and sentencing in the case were completed within 60 days of the crime, marking one of the fastest trials in a child sexual assault and murder case in Maharashtra in recent years.
FAQs
Why did the Pune court award the death penalty in the Nasrapur case?
The court considered it a 'rarest of the rare' case.
When did the Nasrapur rape and murder case occur?
The crime took place on May 1, 2026, in Nasrapur village of Pune district, and the accused was convicted within 60 days of the incident.
