'Gagged by stuffing cloth': Postmortem reveals asphyxia as cause of death in Pune child rape-murder case, say police

PUNE: Police said on Tuesday that the autopsy report has identified "asphyxia" as the cause of death of a four-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered in Pune last week.The 65-year-old accused allegedly gagged the victim by stuffing a cloth in her mouth, which led to suffocation, they said.The accused, a labourer by profession, has a prior criminal record. According to police, he was booked in molestation cases in 1998 and 2015 but was later acquitted in both instances.The girl was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered by him in Narsapur in Bhor tehsil of Pune district on May 1, triggering widespread outrage and protests."The post-mortem findings point to death due to asphyxia. Prima facie, the accused gagged the victim by stuffing a cloth in her mouth, which led to suffocation," a senior police official said.The autopsy report also noted injuries on the child’s body, the official added.According to police, the accused allegedly lured the girl with the promise of food and took her to a cattle enclosure, where he sexually assaulted her before killing her.He was later arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.The incident sparked widespread outrage in Bhor, with hundreds of villagers gathering outside the local police outpost last week to demand strict action. Protesters also blocked the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway.A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to investigate the case.Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the government would seek the death penalty for the accused and ensure a fast-tracked trial to deliver justice swiftly.Members of the accused’s family have also called for the harshest possible punishment.(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)(With agency inputs)