In a crime that has sent shockwaves through Thane, three men who worked as helpers at a temple have been arrested by the Shil Daighar Police Station for the brutal gang-rape and murder of a 30-year-old woman, told Subhash Burse, DCP- (Zone 1) in a press conference today. The gruesome discovery of her semi-nude, battered body near the Ghol Ganpati temple in Shilgaon has left the community in a state of horror and disbelief. The woman’s body bore multiple injuries, a chilling testament to the violence inflicted upon her before she was mercilessly killed. On July 9, 2024, police were alerted to a woman's body found near the temple. The victim, a resident of Navi Mumbai had been reported missing. Her father filed the complaint at the NRI police station in Navi Mumbai. With this information, the Shil-Daighar police registered a case under Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita sections 103(1), 70(1), and 238 and launched a comprehensive investigation.
Using technical evidence and CCTV footage, police identified two suspects working as temple helpers. After interrogation, the suspects confessed and revealed a third accomplice who was later apprehended from Cheeta Camp area in Trombay. All three were subsequently arrested. The arrested individuals are Shamsundar Pyarchand Sharma, 62, from Kota, Rajasthan; Santoshkumar Ramyagn Mishra, 45, from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh; and Rajkumar Rampher Pandey, 54, from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The investigation revealed that victim, under severe mental stress due to domestic issues, had visited the temple on July 6, 2024. The suspects lured her into drinking tea laced with a sedative. In her impaired state, the three men took turns sexually assaulting her. When she regained consciousness and attempted to flee, they brutally beat her, smashed her head against the ground, and strangled her to death. They then destroyed the CCTV cables in an attempt to cover their tracks.
DCP Burse stated, "The main priest was away on a religious trip to Ayodhya. He had asked the three accused to take care of the temple in his absence. These men gave the woman food in the morning and evening. The next day, they put cannabis in her tea before giving it to her." Sub-Inspector Abdul Malik is leading the ongoing investigation. The accused were presented before a court and remanded to police custody until July 16.