Two men arrested for murder of 35-year-old tribal woman in Pen taluka

The Pen police in Raigad have arrested two men for the murder of a 35-year-old tribal woman in Pen taluka near Navi Mumbai, after she allegedly rejected their demands for sexual favours. The victim, identified as Ambi Janya Jadhav of Bhonguli tribal hamlet, was found dead on Monday, June 8, in a forest area near the Shitole tribal hamlet along the Mumbai-Goa highway.

The arrested suspects have been identified as Ramavatar Kevat and Sunil Vishwakarma. Both men hail from Madhya Pradesh and were working at a stone crusher site in Mungoshi village, Pen taluka. Police apprehended the duo within 24 hours of registering a First Information Report (FIR).

Sandeep Bagul, senior inspector of Pen, stated that doctors at the Alibaug Civil Hospital initially suspected the cause of death to be asphyxia by smothering, as there were no strangulation marks on her neck. The victim's body was subsequently referred to the Panvel sub-district hospital for a post-mortem examination to confirm the exact cause of death and to determine if she was sexually assaulted.

The breakthrough in the investigation came through a technical analysis of mobile tower dump data from the crime scene. Police identified a suspicious mobile number registered to Bhanudas Deokar, a resident of Alibaug. Upon detention, Deokar revealed he had given the SIM card to Kevat, his former co-worker who was employed at the Mungoshi stone crusher site.

Acting on this lead, police detained Kevat at the stone crusher site on Tuesday morning. During interrogation, Kevat confessed that he and his friend, Vishwakarma, killed Jadhav after she refused their demands for sex, subsequently dumping her body in the forest.

According to the police, the victim was estranged from her husband and has two children who live with her parents in a separate tribal hamlet. She had been visiting her maternal home and went to the market on Sunday to buy groceries, where the suspects spotted and approached her. When she refused their advances and attempted to walk home, the accused followed her, assaulted her on an isolated road, and smothered her when she screamed for help.

If the post-mortem report confirms sexual assault, the police will invoke relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections against the accused.