The whole state is shocked by the brutal rape and murder of a young girl in Nasrapur, Bhor taluka. Pune's image as a 'safe city' is now shattered. Child safety is falling apart.
But this is not an isolated case. In recent months, many similar cases have happened in the city. These include the kidnapping and murder of a 2.5-year-old girl from a footpath. There's also a security guard who got a 15-year-old girl pregnant. Sexual assaults on young girls are rising fast. So really, "are girls safe in Pune?"
In a horrific incident similar to the one in Nasrapur, a soul-shaking crime occurred in the Maldhakka Chowk area of Pune. A two-and-a-half-year-old girl, who was sleeping on the pavement with her parents, was abducted.
Kidnapper took her into a railway carriage and brutally assaulted her, biting her body in several places. The girl, who was found with severe injuries, passed away during treatment at Sassoon Hospital.
In a housing society in the Lakshminagar area, a 25-year-old security guard named Shailesh Kumar repeatedly sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl. He threatened her, saying, 'I will murder you and your family'.
The shocking incident came to light only after the girl's started getting health problems and she was admitted to Sassoon Hospital, where it was discovered that she was five months pregnant.
A case of sexual assault against a 15-year-old specially-abled minor was reported within the jurisdiction of the Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station. In connection with this case, the police have arrested four accused individuals.
In March 2026, two separate incidents occurred within the limits of the Chandannagar Police Station where minor girls were threatened and raped. In both cases, the accused were arrested and charged under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act.
In Pune city itself, 499 cases of rape against women were recorded in 2024, while 844 cases of molestation were registered. Similarly, in 2025, there were 473 cases of rape and 836 cases of molestation reported. These statistics also include several minor girls.
Incidents of minor girls being abducted is happening daily in the city. Whether it is the Nasrapur or the cases within Pune, these incidents demonstrate that young girls and women are no longer safe anywhere, be it at home, on the pavement, or within housing societies.
Such incidents have sparked a wave of public outrage. There is an urgent need for the police to take stringent action against these criminals.
