Accused in rape and murder of minor girl in Kalyan found dead in Taloja jail toilet
An accused in the sexual assault and the murder of a minor girl in Kalyan East has allegedly died by suicide in the toilet next to his cell in Taloja jail.
After Vishal Gawli’s death came to light on Sunday morning, the jail authorities informed the Kharghar police and his family in Kalyan of the incident.
The Thane police arrested Gawli, 35, and his third wife, Sakshi, 25, in December 2024 after he allegedly raped and murdered the girl in Kalyan who had gone missing. Sakshi allegedly helped him dispose of the body, which was found a day later.
Gawli was arrested from Shegaon in Buldhana, his wife’s native place.
Officials then said that Gawli had six cases against him that included three of sexual harassment. One of these cases involved the molestation of a girl. While he was externed in the past, he managed to get the order stayed claiming he was mentally unfit.
The girl had taken Rs 20 from her mother to purchase something to eat. When she did not return home till night, her parents approached the local police, which asked them to wait. A day later the police received a call that a girl’s body had been found in the Bapgaon area of Bhiwandi.
The family identified the body, which had been brutalised, to be their daughter. Initially the parents suspected a man living in the locality who had a case of sexual harassment registered against him in the past. However, on further checking, his involvement was ruled out.
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The police then started going through CCTV footage from the spot near a graveyard where the girl’s body was found. The police zeroed in on an autorickshaw from which the girl’s body was flung at the spot.
Tracking the autorickshaw, the police found that it had been driven by Gawli and that Sakshi was sitting behind with the body. When the police reached their home, Gawli was missing. The police took Sakshi into custody and started interrogating her.
She told the police that it was Gawli who had abducted the girl around 5 pm and raped the girl at their home, following which he murdered her. When Sakshi came home around 7 pm, he informed her about the incident and took her help in cleaning the house.
He then called his friend who owned an autorickshaw. Later, the couple allegedly kept the body in the autorickshaw and disposed of it at Bhiwandi. Gawli later fled to his wife’s native place. The police started tracking Gawli and located him at Shegaon.
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In August 2024, a case of sexual assault of two minor girls by a school sweeper in Thane’s Badlapur led to major protests. The accused in the case was eventually killed by the police in an “encounter”.
According to jail officials, Gawli allegedly ended his life around 3.50 am. “There were around 30-35 inmates in the barrack, and a toilet was attached to it. While the rest were asleep, he woke up in the morning, went inside the washroom, and ended his life by hanging himself using a gamcha (towel),” an official said.
The incident came to light at around 4 am, after another jail inmate went to the toilet and screamed on seeing Gawli’s body, according to the police.
The jail officials then rushed to the barrack, after which authorities from the hospital and the Kharghar police station were informed. The doctors declared him dead instantly.
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When asked about the reason for Gawli ending his life, the jail official said, “Since the time he was lodged in the jail, he would tell other inmates that everyone had broken off their relationship with him because of the nature of crime he has been arrested for. Nobody ever came to meet him, and his wife would also not talk to him, even on the phone.”
The official said that Gawli kept repeating that there was no point in living if his family had disowned him. The officials added that they were trying to ascertain if Gawli had left any suicide note.
Speaking to the reporters, the father of the 13-year-old girl said, “We were fighting for justice in court against the heinous act the accused committed with our daughter. But in the end, destiny and God delivered justice. During our difficult times, we received immense support from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde, Deputy Commissioner of Police Atul Zende, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kalyanji Ghete, and the officers of Kolsewadi Police Station. God has punished this demon. His brothers, who are also goons in the area, have been externed by the police. These accused used to carry weapons and spread terror in the area — the fear of them still lingers among the people here. However, in our daughter’s case, the government and God have given us justice, and we are grateful to all of them for that.”