Cops now investigating whether accused killed boy's mother and then tried to do away with child to eliminate witness
Cops now investigating whether accused killed boy's mother and then tried to do away with child to eliminate witness
After a five-year-old boy survived an attempt on his life and described the man who had tried to kill him as his mother's friend, the police say they have reason to believe the accused, who has been arrested, murdered the child's mother and then decided to do away with the boy to eliminate a witness.
The child, Vinayak, was thrown into a water body near the Mutha. The boy survived the attempt on his life and was rescued by farmers. 
Survivor: Five-year-old Vinayak is being cared for by the Paud
police
The police arrested Kailash Shedge of Shedgewadi based on the boy's description of the man who had attempted to kill him. The incident took place in Kolewadi, Mulshi taluka, in the jurisdiction of the Paud police station.
The police now say they are confident they will crack the unsolved case of the recovery of a body of an unidentified woman near the Mutha nearly 20 days ago.
"The body of woman aged between 25 and 30 was found on February 20. It seems the woman died of a head injury," said Police Nayak Datta Jagtap.
Jagtap said the Vinayak had provided them with a vital clue when he said "Kailash Uncle" had hit his mother with a stone some 20 days ago.
A police officer said Vinayak had recognised the dead woman as his mother Sunita, but that they needed to contact her relatives "to substantiate the evidence against Kailash".
The police said Shedge had confessed to throwing Vinayak in the Mutha valley on March 7. They said Shedge first tried to strangle Vinayak; after that he threw him in Vaghjai near the Temghar dam.
Vinayak was taken by the current towards Kolwadi, where two farmers, Shankar and Sunil Ubhe, saved him from drowning in the water.
The police said Shedge had separated from his wife five years ago and last year, while on a visit to Mumbai, he had come in touch with a woman with whom he had established a relationship.
After Vinayak's rescue, the police initially thought the man he was referring to as Kailash Uncle had tried to kill him to remove an impediment to the growth of his relationship with the boy's mother.
But after Vinayak's identification of the dead woman as his mother, the police had to revise their theory and begin investigating whether Shedge attempted a second murder to prevent anybody linking him to the murder of the woman.
The police have booked Shedge under Section 306 of the IPCu00a0 for attempt to murder and Section 317 of the IPC for abandoning a child under 12 years of age.
"Shedge was produced in court and remanded in police custody till March 14," said Police Inspector P S Nyahalde.
Boy wins over cops
The Paud police say the five-year-old rescued from drowning is now a special friend and that Vinayak's innocence had endeared him to them.u00a0 "We have developed a special bond with Vinayak," said Police Nayak Jagtap. "We are trying our best to ensure that he gets proper care, love and education in the future."
ADVERTISEMENT
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
