Badlapur sexual assault: Police shoot accused dead, claim he fired first

The prime accused in the Badlapur child sexual abuse case has been shot dead by the police, the latter have confirmed.

Police told the media on Monday (September 23) that the 23-year-old janitor arrested for allegedly sexually abusing two girls at a school in Badlapur in Maharashtra’s Thane district fired at a policeman, provoking them to open fire in self-defence.

An official said Akshay Shinde was being taken to Badlapur from Taloja jail for investigation. When the police vehicle reached Mumbra bypass, Shinde snatched a policeman’s gun and fired three rounds, inuring an assistant police inspector. Shinde was first reported to have been injured in retaliatory firing and was later reported dead.

Case history

The two minors were allegedly abused in the school toilet on August 12. The accused was arrested on August 17 after the first FIR was registered on August 16 as one of the victims informed her parents. Medical examinations confirmed sexual abuse of the girls.

As the news spread, massive protests erupted in the state, prompting Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to promise a fast-track investigation. Last week, a Special Investigation Team filed the chargesheet in the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act court in Kalyan.

(With agency inputs)