Pune Horror: 5-Year-Old Boy Survives Alleged Murder Attempt by Father, Leads Police to Sister’s Body in Junnar Forest
In a deeply disturbing incident from Maharashtra’s Pune district, a five-year-old boy survived after he and his younger sister were allegedly strangled and abandoned in a forest by their own father.
While the three-and-a-half-year-old girl lost her life, the boy’s survival and testimony later helped police uncover the crime and arrest the accused father.
The accused, identified as Sagar Sadashiv Shinde, 29, a resident of Moshi near Pune, has been arrested by the Pune Rural Police.
The body of his daughter, Harshada Shinde, was later recovered from a forested area in Junnar taluka.
Police registered an FIR at Alephata Police Station on Wednesday. Inspector Vishwas Jadhav said the accused has been remanded to police custody till May 12, and further investigation is underway.
According to investigators, Shinde had been facing severe personal and financial difficulties over the past few months.
Police said his wife had left him following domestic disputes and was staying separately with their two children and her parents in Gaikwad Wasti, Moshi.
Officials added that Shinde had also reportedly lost his job at a private company and was struggling emotionally and financially.
Police alleged that on Tuesday, Shinde took his son Aryan and daughter Harshada to a secluded forest area near Alekhindi village in Junnar.
There, he allegedly strangled both children and abandoned them in the jungle, believing they had died.
However, in a tragic twist, five-year-old Aryan regained consciousness the next morning.
On Wednesday morning, local villagers heard a child crying from the forest area and rushed to investigate. They found Aryan alive and immediately informed the police.
Police personnel reached the spot and brought the traumatised child to Alephata Police Station.
During initial inquiries, officers contacted the boy’s grandfather, who informed them that both the girl and the children’s father were missing. A missing persons complaint had also been lodged at Bhosari MIDC Police Station.
As the investigation intensified, police launched a search operation and tracked down Shinde in the Chakan area. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to the crime.
Based on his statement, police teams accompanied him back to the forest area in Alekhindi, where they recovered little Harshada’s body. Her remains were later sent to a hospital for postmortem examination.
Investigators also discovered that after allegedly abandoning the children in the forest, Shinde had returned home and attempted to mislead his family.
Police said he told his father on Wednesday morning that he had rented a room in Chaka,n where the children were staying safely.
The accused has now been booked on charges including murder, attempt to murder, and destruction of evidence.
The shocking incident has left residents in the region horrified, particularly over the fact that the surviving child’s account played a crucial role in exposing the alleged crime and helping police locate his sister’s body.
