Mumbai: Kalyan Minor Rape-Murder Accused Dies By Suicide In Taloja Jail

Navi Mumbai: A 30 year old inmate in Taloja jail was found dead in the toilet of Taloja jail in the wee hours of Sunday. The deceased identified as Vishal Gawli was lodged in Taloja jail from the month of January this year.

Taloja Jail Superintendent Pramod Wagh's Statement

“At around 4.30 am, Gawli went to the toilet along with his ‘gamcha’ (towel) and did not come out. Meanwhile, another inmate who went to the toilet saw him hanging using his towel. The bathroom had grill above the wall and the deceased inmate tied the towel on that grill to hang himself,” Taloja jail Superintendent Pramod Wagh said.

The inmate who saw Gawli hanging, calling for the guard who then informed the doctor. “After the doctor confirmed death, magisterate conducted the medical inquest and then the body was taken for post mortem to JJ Hospital and then the body would be handed over to the family. Meanwhile an accidental death report was registered with Kharghar police,” Wagh added.

Maharashtra: Vishal Gawli, the prime accused in the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a minor girl in Kalyan, reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself in Taloja Central Jail, Navi Mumbai.

In Kalyan girl rape-murder case, victim's father says, "Our daughter was just twelve… pic.twitter.com/Hg4fPEsFBe

— IANS (@ians_india) April 13, 2025

Gawli was an inmate of barrack number 11 in circle one. “Prima facie, there is no foul play and we are investigating the case further,” senior police inspector Deepak Surve from Kharghar police station said. “He had a diary in his cell in which he has written a note to his wife that mentions that he was upset as she had stopped talking to him. He has not blamed any one but expressed his disappointment over his wife not believing him. He wrote to her that she would realise the truth when the final verdict of the case comes. He had mentioned that nobody believed him and so did his wife. His wife was in Byculla jail,” Surve added.

About The Case

Gawli was accused of the alleged rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in Kalyan. He had allegedly disposed her body with the help of his wife, Sakshi Gawali, near Padgha graveyard in Bhiwandi, in the jurisdiction of the Padgha police station. His wife, who too was arrested in this case, was placed in Byculla jail. The Kalyan Police had also filed a 948-page chargesheet in the Sessions court in Kalyan and trial had commenced. The Kolsewadi police said that the state government had appointed senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam to represent the rape-murder case in court.

Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra: Vishal Gawli, accused of rape, was found dead in Taloja Jail

Accused Vishal Gawli's lawyer, Sanjay Dhanke says, "... He couldn’t have committed suicide. If he wanted to, he would have done it earlier. He has been in jail for three months now. Before… pic.twitter.com/HXPl453IcE

— IANS (@ians_india) April 13, 2025

The Kolsewadi police have arrested a couple for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a 13-year-old girl who went missing from Kalyan on December 23. The girl's body was found in an nearby graveyard within the jurisdiction of the Padgha police station on the morning of December 24. According to the police, Sakshi is the third wife of Vishal Gawli, who has been married to him for the last two years and worked at a private bank. During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused, Vishal, is a habitual criminal offender, with a total of four cases including sexual assault, outraging the modesty of women, and two bodily offenses lodged at the Kolsewadi police station," said a police inspector from the Kolsewadi police station.

The investigating officer said that the girl left home to buy chocolate and snacks when the accused allegedly abducted her and took her to his room where he committed sexual assault on her and later killed her. Following the murder, he feared and narrated the incident to his wife. With the help of his wife Sakshi, the body of the girl was packed in a bag. They called an auto rickshaw from which they kept the bag in the auto and headed towards the Bapgaon area where they dumped the body nearby a graveyard at Bapgaon, Bhiwandi.

Maharashtra: Vishal Gawli, the prime accused in the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a minor girl in Kalyan, reportedly committed suicide by hanging himself in Taloja Central Jail, Navi Mumbai.

Vishal Gawli's mother says, "...I asked them to tell me what happened. First, they… pic.twitter.com/FEumWZ2t81

— IANS (@ians_india) April 13, 2025

The police said that Vishal had shaved his beard in a bid to hide his identity and evade capture. Sakshi was arrested in Kalyan at night on December 24, 2024. Vishal was arrested from Shegaon in Buldhana on December 25, 2024. On December 23, the family filed a missing complaint at Kolsewadi police station. According to the police, the girl left home with Rs 20 to buy chocolate from a local shop but did not return. After a futile search by her family, a kidnapping complaint was lodged late at night. After receiving the information, the police rushed to the scene and found the girl’s body dumped there. Subsequently, the body was taken to the primary healthcare centre in Padgha and later sent to JJ Hospital for a post-mortem.

Locals Stage Protest

Following the incident, hundreds of locals had staged a protest with their mouths covered with black cloth, took out a protest march, and carried banners and placards demanding stringent action against the accused. They expressed their anger against the accused who allegedly kidnapped and killed a 13-year-old girl.

Locals demanded that the concerned authorities ensure the accused receive rigorous punishment in this matter. The state government should ensure justice for the family after taking strict action against the accused. However, they demanded that since the Badlapur accused had been encountered, the same should be done with this accused.

In this matter, earlier, the Kolsewadi Police, to prevent any untoward incidents and maintain law and order in the city, have externed Vishal Gawali's three brothers—Shyam Gawali, Navnath Gawali, and Akash Gawali—from Thane, Mumbai, and Raigad for two years. The police stated that they all had criminal records and were involved in two cases involving attempts to commit murder, bodily offenses, violations of the Arms Act, and property offenses at the Kolsepwadi police station.

The police mentioned that Shyam Gawali, 34, and Akash Gawali, 33, worked in their own event management business in the local area. They lived with their wives and children in Kalyan. Navnath Gawali, 28, is unemployed and unmarried. Police Inspector Ganesh Nhayade from the Kolsewadi police station said, "They have all been externed for two years from the jurisdictions of the Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad districts. One of our teams took them and left them in Satara district, where their relative lives."

Sanjay Dhanke, a lawyer for Vishal Gawli, stated that he suspected the police machinery had killed Vishal Gawli. Due to the fear of untoward incidents occurring with Vishal, similar to the Akshay Shinde encounter, I had moved an application in court during the remand stage. I prayed through the application for the protection of Vishal Gawli. That application was still pending. He further added that he visited the jail and met with Vishal twenty days ago. Vishal told him that he did not commit any offense and stated that his life was in danger in jail. I assured him not to take any tension because he was in jail.

The father of the victim, speaking with the media, stated that he thanked CM Devendra Fadnavis, DCM Eknath Shinde, MP Shrikant Shinde, DCP Atul Zende, and the concerned police station for supporting us and investigating the matter fairly. God has punished Vishal Gawali for his offense.

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