Badlapur Sexual Assault Case: Thane Crime Branch Arrests 2 Accused

The Thane crime branch has arrested two individuals in connection with the Badlapur sexual assault case.

Uday Kotwal, the president of the school, and Tushar Apte, the secretary, were apprehended in Karjat. Both are linked to the school where two minor girls were sexually assaulted by a sweeper. The arrests followed the Bombay High Court’s rejection of their anticipatory bail pleas.

The main accused, Akshay Shinde, was killed in a police encounter earlier in September.

According to the Thane Police, Shinde was being transferred from Taloja Jail to Badlapur in relation to a new case filed by his wife. During the transfer, he allegedly grabbed a weapon from a police officer and opened fire.

Shinde was injured near the Mumbra bypass and later died in the hospital.

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) criticized the Maharashtra government, led by Eknath Shinde, over the handling of the case.

NCP MP Supriya Sule expressed her outrage, stating, “The Mahayuti government’s handling of the Badlapur sexual assault case involving two minor girls is appalling! First, there was a delay in filing the FIR, and now the prime accused has been killed in custody! This represents a complete collapse of law enforcement and the justice system.”

In September, Akshay Shinde’s family, after his death in the police encounter, approached the Bombay High Court. They sought permission to locate a burial site for him, having faced difficulties in finding land for his grave.

The family had initially tried to secure burial sites in Badlapur and Ambarnath but were unsuccessful, leading them to file a petition through their lawyer, Amit Katarnavare.

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