Navi Mumbai: In a swift breakthrough, the Pen police in Raigad district have solved the murder case of a 35-year-old tribal woman by arresting two accused individuals within 24 hours of registering an FIR. The duo confessed that they demanded sexual favors from the victim, and when she refused, they smothered her to death. However, authorities are awaiting the post-mortem report to determine if the woman was sexually assaulted.
Victim and Arrest Details
The victim, identified as Ambi Janya Jadhav, a resident of Bhonguli tribal hamlet, was found dead with facial injuries and lying semi-naked in a forest area near Shitole tribal hamlet in Pen taluka, Raigad, along the Mumbai-Goa highway on Monday, June 8, around 11 am. The arrested accused are Ramavatar Kevat and Sunil Vishwakarma, both from Madhya Pradesh and employed at a stone crusher site in Mungoshi village, Pen taluka.
Medical Findings and Investigation
Sandeep Bagul, senior inspector of Pen police station, stated that the deceased woman was taken to Alibaug Civil Hospital, where doctors initially attributed her death to asphyxia by smothering, as no strangulation marks were found on her neck. Consequently, her post-mortem was referred to Panvel sub-district hospital to ascertain the exact cause of death. Since the victim was found semi-naked, the post-mortem report will clarify whether she was sexually assaulted. If confirmed, additional charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for sexual assault will be levied against the arrested accused.
How the Accused Were Tracked
Bagul explained, "Through technical analysis of mobile dump data at the crime scene, a suspect mobile number was identified. The SIM card was registered under Bhanudas Deokar, a resident of Yavatmal district currently living in Vaishet village, Alibaug. He was detained for questioning and revealed that he had given his SIM card to Ramavatar Kevat, a former coworker now working at a stone crusher site in Pen taluka. Subsequently, all stone crusher sites were searched, and Kevat was detained from the Mungoshi site on Tuesday morning. During interrogation, he confessed that he and his friend killed the woman after she refused to have sex with them, and they dumped her body in the forest area."
Background of the Victim
The victim was estranged from her husband and had two children, who live with her parents in another tribal hamlet. Living alone, she often roamed other hamlets and stayed wherever she was offered food. Last week, she visited her maternal home. On Sunday, she went to the market to buy groceries, where the two accused spotted her. They approached her for sexual favors, which she declined. While she was returning to her mother's house, the accused followed her and waylaid her on an isolated road. When they again demanded sex and she refused, the duo assaulted her face. As she screamed for help, they smothered her and dumped her body in the forest.
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