Uttan police told mid-day that his body was in a semi-decomposed condition
Prakash Rathod
The prime accused in the Uttan child kidnapping and murder case, Prakash Rathod, has allegedly committed suicide. The police found his body hanging in the jungle on Wednesday in Uttan. Rathod had been accused of murdering his niece.
Uttan police told mid-day that his body was in semi-decomposed condition. Rathod had been on the run since the minor went missing.
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The investigation had revealed the nine-year-old girl's inability to do household work and use the toilet at her adoptive parents' house led the man and his wife to strangulate her to death. Police had said the accused would brutally assault the girl and not give her food and water whenever she wet the bed at night.
The cops reached the spot after receiving a tip-off about the body. They searched Rathod's pockets and found his wallet and mobile phone (switched off). They have ruled out foul play and said it is a clear case of suicide.
"The body has been identified as that of Prakash Rathod. We have sent it to a local government hospital for post mortem. There is no foul play in the matter. The body is semi-decomposed so it seems that he committed suicide about 12 days ago. We have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) and further investigations are underway," said Satish Nikam, assistant Inspector, Uttan police station.
The murder
A nine-year-old girl was allegedly murdered by her 'adoptive father', buried in a drum filled with cement, and thrown into the Kasara Ghat. The drum and body were recovered by the Uttan Sagari police. The girl's mother lost her husband a year ago. She has three more kids and lives with her in-laws in Aurangabad. In June 2019, Prakash Rathod, her cousin, took one of her daughters to Thane to enrol her in a school. But Prakash later stopped communicating. After the girl's mother lodged a police complaint, it was revealed that he had killed the girl.
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