Budgam horror: Local man arrested in 12-year-old’s rape, murder case

His name surfaced in two separate cases - the rape-murder and a financial corruption case at the hospital. He was arrested by the CBI in connection with both investigations. While he has secured bail in the rape-murder case, he remains in judicial custody over the financial corruption charges. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has ordered the demolition of a portion of the roof of the residence of Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital over allegations of unauthorised construction. KMC officials had previously visited the residence to inspect the construction. Although a notice was served to the household about two years ago, the civic body has now explicitly ordered the demolition of the designated section within the next 45 days.Ghosh is currently in jail in connection with a financial corruption case at RG Kar Hospital, following his arrest by the CBI. According to the KMC notification, the house is located at 83, Badan Roy Lane, Beleghata. Three portions of the property, owned by Ghosh and his wife Sangeeta Ghosh, were found to be unauthorised, violating Rules 133 and 134 of the 2009 Building Rules. The investigation and subsequent action were initiated based on a complaint filed by an individual named Anshuman Sarkar. “One small portion of a pergola newly introduced over roof installation of iron spiral stair over roof to access machine room, a brick wall newly introduced in place of door at 2nd floor level. This proceeding was brought against Dr. Sandip Ghosh and Dr. Sangeeta Ghosh. The allegation against unauthorised construction at Premises No. 83, Badan Roy Lane, Ward 33, Borough III for violating rules 133 and 134 of Building Rule 2009. Relevant Record information available with the file D/Sketch, Precis of Infringement statement from Borough office are taken into consideration. One small portion of pergola (approximately arca 5.425 sqm., height 2.05 m) newly introduced over roof. Installation of iron spiral stair over roof to access lifts machine room. Brick wall newly introduced in place of door at 2 floor level,” read the notice. The KMC had sent a notice to the residence on October 30, 2024, and civic officials had also visited the spot after the RG Kar rape and murder incident. The latest notification specifies an illegal covered structure spanning 5.425 square meters on the roof, with a height of 2.05 metres, an unauthorised spiral iron staircase installed on the roof to access a specific machine room, and a newly constructed brick wall in front of a doorway on the third-floor level. According to officials, during the KMC hearing regarding this matter, both the property owners and the complainant were present. The owners agreed to remove the disputed structures within two months. Consequently, the civic body issued an order directing that the specified portions must be demolished within 45 days. The order also mentions that if anyone has objections to this directive, they can file a fresh complaint with the municipal corporation.Story continues below this ad “The said pergola was not shown in the completion plan. He has agreed to remove the pergola within two months during the course of renovation work already decided to be taken up.I am inclined to pass order to remove the pergola on roof within 45 days from the date of communication of this order.Any person aggrieved by this order u/s 400 (1) may be appeal against this order to Municipal Building Tribunal within stipulated time in accordance with the provision of KMC Act 1980,” the notice read. Sandip Ghosh was the principal of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital when the rape and murder of an on-duty doctor took place in August 2024. His role during the entire incident came under heavy scrutiny, leading to his resignation amid widespread controversy and later he was arrested. His name surfaced in two separate cases – the rape-murder and a financial corruption case at the ho

As per police records, the victim was a resident of Pune city, but was staying at her grandmother’s house at a village in the district. On May 1, while she was playing near a local temple, the accused allegedly took her to a cowshed. He allegedly raped the girl, killed her, and dumped her body in cow dung there. The hearing in the Pune minor’s rape-murder case began at a fast track court on Thursday. The special court allowed an application seeking an identification parade of the 65-year-old accused who allegedly raped and murdered the three-year-old girl at a village in Pune district on May 1. The court also allowed medical tests for a psychiatric evaluation of the accused to assess his mental fitness, police said.Police filed the application in this regard before the court through special public prosecutor (SPP) Ajay Misar. The court ordered that the identification parade and the medical test of the accused should be conducted before May 28. Police said charges would be framed during the next hearing of this case, to be held the same day. The court directed the district legal services authority to appoint a lawyer for the accused. The court also ordered that the accused be produced before it with essential security arrangements during the next hearing, so that he can have a face to face interaction with his lawyer before charges are framed. The accused was produced through video conferencing. On May 16, the police had filed a chargesheet against the accused under relevant sections of BNS and POCSO Act. As per police records, the victim was a resident of Pune city, but was staying at her grandmother’s house at a village in the district. On May 1, while she was playing near a local temple, the accused allegedly took her to a cowshed. He allegedly raped the girl, killed her, and dumped her body in cow dung there. © The Indian Express Pvt Ltd Tags: pune

Former NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar was shot dead on September 1, 2024, at Doke Talim Chowk in Nana Peth. (File Photo)The 26-year-old brother of an accused in the 2024 murder of former Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Vanraj Andekar was shot at and injured with a machete in an attack in broad daylight on a busy street in Pune’s Balajinagar on Wednesday. The injured man, Akshay alias Bala Mhaske, was in critical condition at a private hospital as police teams launched a coordinated manhunt to trace the attackers. Akshay alias Bala Bapu Mhaske (26) is a resident of Dhankawadi. Akshay’s brother Akash had earlier been arrested in the Vanraj Andekar murder case. Akash Mhaske had allegedly procured pistols from Madhya Pradesh for the accused involved in Vanraj’s murder and was later arrested in the case.Police officials said that on Wednesday morning, Akshay had gone to Balajinagar on the Pune-Satara Road for breakfast and was standing near Rajarshi Shahu Bank Chowk when assailants arrived on two-wheelers and opened fire at him. One bullet hit his leg. The attackers then assaulted him with a machete, injuring him grievously. The attackers fled the scene leaving Akshay bleeding profusely on the ground. He was immediately admitted to a private hospital. After the incident senior police officers from the local police station and zone and crime branch rushed to the scene and a probe was launched. Police said CCTV cameras were being checked to identify the suspect and a coordinated manhunt had been launched. Former NCP corporator Vanraj Andekar — who was son of notorious gangster Bandu Andekar, the leader of Andekar gang — was shot dead on September 1, 2024, at Doke Talim Chowk in Nana Peth. Police had said the murder stemmed from a rivalry for dominance as well as a property dispute. Several accused including Somnath Gaikwad, Aniket Dudhbhaate, Vanraj Andekar’s sister Sanjeevani Komkar, her husband Jayant Komkar, and her brother-in-law Ganesh Komkar, were arrested for Vanraj’s murder. Later, on September 5, 2025, the Andekar gang allegedly killed Ayush Komkar (18), son of accused Ganesh Komkar, in retaliation for Vanraj Andekar’s murder. Ayush was shot dead inside the residential society premises on the eve of the Ganesh immersion procession that year. Ayush Komkar was the grandson of Bandu Andekar. A deepening rift within Pune’s notorious crime family of gangster Bandu Andekar over the 68-year-old patriarch’s illicit wealth and control of his criminal stronghold is suspected to be the central reason behind the murders of its two members — Bandu Andekar’ son Vanraj Andekar and daughter’s son Ayush Komkar — one year apart. This family feud is fueled by two factions of the once-undivided Andekar gang, the probe has revealed.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari during a meeting with party MLAs and ministers at Nabanna Sabhaghar, in Howrah. (Handout via PTI Photo)West Bengal Live Updates: In a bid to redesign the state’s social support structure, the newly elected BJP government is now set to implement a series of major welfare schemes — starting with Annapurna Bhandar, the government’s proposed direct-benefit transfer (DBT) scheme for women, and free bus travel for female passengers, coming into effect from June 1. First set of arrests: Garga Chatterjee, founder of the Bangla Pokkho ethno-linguistic rights organisation, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly making provocative statements in the run-up to the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections. The police said Chatterjee was also accused of spreading misinformation about the electoral process and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). The day before, the Enforcement Directorate arrested former minister Sujit Bose in connection with the alleged irregularities in municipal recruitment.Story continues below this ad Suvendu aide murder probe: Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken over the probe into the murder of Chandranath Rath, the personal assistant to West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who was targeted and killed in a brutal ambush on May 6 in Madhyamgram, North 24 Parganas. A seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by DIG Pankaj Kumar Singh, has been formed to probe. Three key suspects have already been arrested from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in a joint operation by the police of West Bengal, Bihar, and UP. Live UpdatesStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd Tags: Suvendu Adhikari

A Special Investigation Team of the Pune Rural police has been formed for the probe. Meanwhile, senior lawyer Ajay Misar has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor in the case. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the trial of the case will be conducted in a fast track court. PUNE RURAL police, who are investigating the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl by a 65-year-old man, have said a chargesheet is likely to be filed in the next two days. Meanwhile, a special court in Pune has extended the police custody of the accused till May 14. The 65-year-old has been charged by the Pune Rural police with kidnapping, rape, murder and sexual abuse of the girl. The girl’s family lives in Pune city but at the time of the incident she was visiting her grandmother’s house in a village in Pune district.On Tuesday, the accused was produced before a special court in Pune via video conferencing. The prosecution sought further police custody for investigating multiple aspects of the case. The court granted extension till May 14. “In the probe till now, key aspects related to sequence of events, exact modus operandi and witnesses have emerged. These are being carefully probed. A chargesheet in the case is expected to be filed in the next two days,” said a senior officer. The incident had come to light on May 1 after the girl who had left her grandmother’s house to play outside did not return home. Probe revealed that when the girl was playing near a local temple, the accused lured her and took her to a cowshed. He then raped the girl and bludgeoned her to death with a stone, and then dumped her body in cow dung at the spot, the police said. CCTV footage revealed that the accused had taken the girl with him around 3.15 pm. Soon, the girl’s body was found in the cowshed and the accused too was caught. A Special Investigation Team of the Pune Rural police has been formed for the probe. Meanwhile, senior lawyer Ajay Misar has been appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor in the case. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the trial of the case will be conducted in a fast track court. Based on the complaint filed by victim girl’s mother an FIR against him has been filed under sections 137 (2), 103, 64, 74, 140 (1), 140 (3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 4, 3, 8, 12 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). After the arrest, the court remanded the accused to police custody till May 7 which was extended till Tuesday. During investigation, the police recreated the crime scene on May 5, by taking the accused to the spot where the offence took place.

New DelhiMay 12, 2026 02:27 PM IST A quarrel broke out between the tea stall owner and the appellant in December 1998 after the latter threw a half-burnt cigarette into the bucket used by the owner for washing cups. (AI-generated image)Reinforcing the settled principle that quality of evidence prevails over quantity, the Supreme Court has upheld a man’s conviction for murdering a tea stall owner in Gujarat following a quarrel triggered by a half-burnt cigarette that was thrown into a bucket used for washing utensils. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Prasanna B Varale opined that the man’s appeal, dismissed by the Gujarat High Court, did not warrant any interference as the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.“It is a settled principle of criminal jurisprudence that it is the quality and not the quantity of evidence which is determinative. Even the testimony of a solitary witness, if found to be wholly reliable and of sterling quality, is sufficient to base a conviction,” the May 11 order noted. The Supreme Court bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Prasanna B Varale dismissed a man’s appeal against his conviction for murdering a tea stall owner.“It is well settled by a catena of decisions of this court that a truthful and voluntary dying declaration, if found to be reliable, can by itself form the sole basis of conviction without the necessity of corroboration,” the bench added. ‘Quarrel over half-burnt cigarette’ On December 11, 1998, a quarrel broke out between the appellant and the tea stall owner after the appellant threw a half-burnt cigarette into a bucket used by the other person for washing cups and saucers. The following day, the owner was allegedly found lying injured near his tea stall, having sustained multiple blows. The man kept repeating to the witness that the appellant had injured him. This was repeated multiple times until he arrived at the hospital, where he was declared dead. The witness subsequently lodged a police complaint and the appellant was detained, and the weapon of offence was allegedly discovered. Upon appreciation of the evidence on record, the trial court in Ahmedabad concluded that the appellant was guilty of the offences under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 135 (contravention of rules/orders)of the Bombay Police Act. The appellant moved an appeal before the Gujarat High Court, which was dismissed. ‘Prosecution’s case beyond reasonable doubt’ The Supreme Court observed that the witness’s hostility was confined to not having actually seen the appellant assaulting the deceased. However, the testimony consistently established that the deceased was found lying in a pool of blood at the scene of the offence. The apex court opined that the appeal deserved to be dismissed in limine (at the outset) for the reason that the prosecution had succeeded in proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and there was no reason to take a different approach from that of the concurrently recorded by the trial court and the Gujarat High Court concerning the veracity and reliability of the testimony, the Supreme Court added. The top court stressed that although most of the panch witnesses and eyewitnesses turned hostile, PW1 and PW12 had fully proved the prosecution’s case beyond a reasonable doubt.Story continues below this ad ‘Dying declaration, doubtful’ Advocate K Sarada Devi, the counsel appearing for the appellant, submitted that the prosecution’s case was based mainly on the complainant’s version and the alleged oral dying declaration. She argued that the independent witnesses who informed the complainant and were said to be present at the scene of the crime were not examined. It was contended that since there were no credible eyewitnesses, and most of the other witnesses had turned hostile, the dying declaration was doubtful, with serious contradictions and procedural lapses. On the other hand, advocate Swati Ghildiyal, appearin

It was an hour and a half later that the jailer at Sabarmati Central Jail realised Malde Rama Parmar was missing. (File Photo)A murder convict sentenced to life imprisonment walked out of the main gate of the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad on Monday morning, officials said. Malde Rama Parmar, 30, was among 33 prisoners walking around yard number 4 of the biggest and most secure prison in Gujarat when he disappeared without anyone noticing his absence. It was only during a prisoner count an hour and a half later that the jailer realised Parmar was missing, leading to a failed search within the premises.Parmar was booked for murder at the Kamlabagh police station in Porbandar in 2023. On May 9, 2025, the trial court convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment. He had also been booked earlier in a case of sexual harassment of a minor under the Pocso Act, according to an FIR registered at the Ranip police station regarding his escape. The FIR, filed based on a complaint by Jailor Devduttsinh R Gohil, stated that after his conviction, Parmar had been transferred from Porbandar Special Jail to Rajkot Central Jail to serve his sentence. However, he was transferred to Sabarmati Central Jail on November 16, 2025, for medical treatment. On Monday, when jail officials counted prisoners in “bada chhakar (circle) of yard no 4”, they found only 32 prisoners instead of 33. At about 12 pm, this led to panic as Parmar was missing. The general subedar led a search party around the prison, but he was not found, according to the FIR. When officials checked the CCTV footage, they saw Parmar walk out of the main gate at 10.10 am.Story continues below this ad Parmar has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 262 (escaping from custody). B R Rabari, Inspector of the Ranip police station, remained unavailable for comment. Sabarmati Jail Superintendent of Police Gaurav Agarwal said, “We are still ascertaining how the prisoner managed to escape the prison and whose negligence led to the incident.”

In both the cases, the police had booked the accused persons under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. (File Photo)The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) granted a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the legal heirs of the two minors who were sexually assaulted and murdered in Pune district this month. On May 1, a three-and-a-half year old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a 65-year-old man at a village in Pune district. Police said the victim girl was playing near a local temple, when the accused allegedly lured her and took her to a cowshed. He allegedly raped the girl, and then killed with “a hard and blunt object”, and then dumped her dead body in cow dung at the spot. The incident had sparked a massive outrage.In another incident on May 1, a 3-year-old boy was sexually assaulted and murdered by a teenager in Pimpri Chinchwad. Within 12 hours, the police nabbed the accused from Pune Railway station, just while he was attempting to escape to his native place in Bihar. In both the cases, the police had booked the accused persons under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. As per provisions of the Manodhairya Scheme, under section 2 (a) of POCSO Act, a compensation up to Rs 10 lakh can be provided to the family of the minor victims losing their lives due to sexual assaults. Accordingly, the DLSA President and Principal District and Sessions Judge Mahendra Mahajan conducted a meeting of its members on Friday and after checking the documents in both the cases, a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs was approved for families of the victims, stated a press release. While 25 percent of the compensation amount is immediately released, the remaining is kept as a fixed deposit in the bank accounts of the victim’s parents, the press release stated.