"Even Hanging Won't Be Enough": Pune Court Sends Child Rapist-Killer to the Gallows in Record 60 Days

A Special POCSO Court in Pune sentenced 65-year-old Bhimrao Prabhakar Kamble to death for raping and murdering a three-year-old girl in Nasrapur village on May 1, 2026. Judge S.R. Salunkhe called it “rarest of rare,” citing 18 injuries on the victim, no remorse, and prior assault allegations. Convicted June 25 after 55 witnesses testified, Kamble received three death sentences and three life terms. Special Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar led the case. CM Devendra Fadnavis called it a “new benchmark” in speedy justice. The verdict requires Bombay High Court confirmation.

Read full article

"Even Hanging Won't Be Enough": Pune Court Sends Child Rapist-Killer to the Gallows in Record 60 Days

A Special POCSO Court in Pune on Monday sentenced 65-year-old Bhimrao Prabhakar Kamble to death for the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Nasrapur village, Bhor taluka, on May 1, 2026. Special Judge S.R. Salunkhe handed down three death sentences and three life terms for murder, rape and kidnapping, along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, terming the case “rarest of rare.”

According to the prosecution, Kamble lured the victim, who was visiting her grandmother for summer vacation, by promising sweets and a newborn calf. CCTV footage showed him leading her to a cattle shed at 3:12 p.m. and returning alone at 3:51 p.m., establishing she was in his custody for 39 minutes. He sexually assaulted and murdered her by gagging her, inflicting 18 injuries documented in the post-mortem report, and attempted to conceal the body under cow dung.

The court convicted Kamble on June 25 — the 55th day after the crime — under relevant provisions of law along with Sections 4, 6, 8 and 12 of the POCSO Act, after examining 55 of the 82 listed witnesses. The investigation, led by a Special Investigation Team under Senior Police Inspector Vijaymala Pawar and Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandeep Singh Gill, relied on DNA profiling, forensic evidence, mobile location data and a Test Identification Parade.

Judge Salunkhe noted Kamble's prior antecedents, including an earlier case of outraging the modesty of his grand-niece and a village woman, in both of which he was acquitted for lack of evidence, as well as an allegation of sexually assaulting an animal in 1996. The judge observed that the accused showed no remorse and held that age could not be treated as a mitigating factor, noting his “thirst for lust” had not diminished even at 65. The court remarked that the brutality of the crime meant even the death penalty would not be adequate punishment.

Special Public Prosecutor Ajay Misar represented the State, citing Supreme Court precedents on capital punishment, while a Legal Aid Defence Counsel, Advocate Himmatrao Suryawanshi, represented the accused and sought leniency on grounds of age. The case, titled State of Maharashtra vs Bhimrao Prabhakar Kamble, was resolved within 60 days of the crime, which Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called a “new benchmark” in speedy justice. Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar also welcomed the verdict, saying it strengthens public faith in the judiciary.

The death sentence will require mandatory confirmation by the Bombay High Court, with further appeal possible before the Supreme Court and a subsequent mercy petition. The victim's father said the family was satisfied with the verdict and wants the sentence carried out.