Thane, Maharashtra (December 25, 2024): Vishal Gawli, the man accused of sexually assaulting and killing a 13-year-old girl in Kalyan East, was arrested by police in Shegaon. His wife, Sakshi, who was also involved in the crime, has been arrested.
Blood stains found outside Gawli’s house led police to suspect his involvement in the girl’s death. A kidnapping case was registered at Kolsewadi police station late Monday night.
The body of a minor girl was found in the Baapgaon area near Bhiwandi on Tuesday. Investigators later confirmed the body belonged to the girl who had been abducted from the Kolsewadi police station area.
CCTV footage from the vicinity of the girl's home showed her leaving for an unknown location but not returning. During the investigation, police suspected Gawli, who lives nearby and has a criminal background. Blood stains were discovered near his house. Gawli was not found at home when police arrived, but his wife, Sakshi, was detained. During questioning, she confessed that Gawli had sexually assaulted and killed the girl.
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Sakshi revealed that Gawli misbehaved with the girl at their residence around 5 p.m. on Monday and killed her. He then hid her body in a large bag. When Sakshi returned home at 7 p.m., Gawli confessed the crime to her. Shocked, Sakshi and Gawli discussed how to dispose of the body. Gawli wiped away the blood stains in the house and called a friend for an auto-rickshaw at 8:30 p.m. By 9 p.m., Gawli drove the rickshaw to Baapgaon with the body, accompanied by his wife.
After dumping the body, Gawli bought a bottle of liquor at Adharwadi Chowk before heading to Shegaon, his wife’s village. Sakshi later revealed all the details to the police.
Sakshi is Gawli’s third wife; two previous wives had left him. Gawli has a history of criminal activity, with charges including molestation, theft, and assault. He had previously been sentenced to death but was out on bail.
In an attempt to avoid being recognized, Gawli shaved his beard at a salon in Shegaon before his arrest. He was taken into custody by police as he was preparing to change his appearance.