A shocking incident has surfaced from Ale Khind in Pune district’s Junnar taluka, where a man allegedly tried to kill his two children after struggling to care for them following his wife’s departure. In the tragic episode, his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter lost her life, while his five-year-old son survived. The matter came to light after the young boy was found wandering alone and later handed over to the police. Alephata Police arrested the accused, identified as 29-year-old Sagar Sadashiv Shinde, a resident of Gaikwad Vasti in Moshi, in connection with the crime. Authorities have launched a detailed investigation into the disturbing case.
The deceased girl has been identified as Harshada, aged three-and-a-half years, while her brother Aryan, aged five, managed to survive. According to police officials, Sagar’s wife had left him and returned to her parental home nearly seven months ago, leaving him alone with the children. Police said the accused was mentally disturbed and overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising them. Pretending that he was taking the children on an outing, Sagar travelled with them to Nashik. While returning, he got down from an ST bus at Ale Khind late at night and took both children into a nearby forested area around 11.30 pm.
Police said Sagar first attempted to kill Aryan by strangling him. Believing the child had died after he fell unconscious, the accused abandoned him in the forest. He then took Harshada a short distance away, strangled her to death, and allegedly dumped her body inside dense bushes before leaving for Moshi. The following morning, Sagar reportedly packed the children’s clothes into a bag and left his house again. When questioned by his father, he falsely claimed that he had rented a room in Balajinagar, Chakan, where the children were staying. Investigators said the accused tried to mislead family members after carrying out the crime.
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Meanwhile, Aryan regained consciousness after some time and walked out of the forest towards the Ale area. Residents noticed the child roaming alone and informed local Police Patil Gangadhar Chougule. During questioning, Aryan could reveal only limited details due to his age and trauma. He reportedly told them that his father had brought him and his sister to the forest at night, left him there, and walked away with the girl. Chougule later took the boy to Alephata Police Station, after which police officers began piecing together the sequence of events and launched an intensive search operation for the missing girl and the accused father.
Police officials said Sagar later confessed during interrogation that he had strangled both children. Senior Police Inspector Jadhav, Assistant Inspector Amol Panhalkar, and Crime Investigation Branch Inspector Pramod Kshirsagar conducted the probe and arrested the accused. Investigators again questioned Aryan and traced the address of his grandparents in Moshi, asking them to come to Alephata. By then, family members had begun suspecting that Sagar had harmed the children. A missing complaint regarding both children had already been filed at Bhosari Police Station. Acting on technical inputs and local inquiries, police traced Sagar near a paan stall in Bhosari and subsequently handed him over to Alephata Police for further action.