A 32-year-old man in India who had been acquitted of all charges in the rape and murder of a young girl was allegedly arrested last week for the murder and rape of another child.
According to the Times of India, Pappu Suresh Salve (also known as Sunil Suresh), was arrested Friday. He is accused of raping and murdering a 9-year-old girl in Shirdi, a town in the state of Maharashtra.
In 2003, Salve had been arrested for the rape and murder of another 9-year-old girl. He was deemed guilty by a sessions court and sentenced to death by hanging. But, as the Press Trust of India notes, Salve appealed the sentence in the Bombay High Court and was acquitted of all charges.
Salve remained in prison, however, as he was serving two other jail terms at the time -- both for rape and murder. It is unclear whether those crimes involved children.
According to PTI, Salve was ultimately released from jail on May 28. He had yet to serve out his sentences, but he was granted an early release due to good behavior.
Seven months later, he allegedly struck again. Police inspector Datta Pawar told the Times of India that Salve kidnapped a 9-year-old girl on Dec. 28.
"After raping and killing her near the Sainagar railway station in Shirdi, he buried the body. After his arrest, we exhumed the girl's body and conducted post-mortem," he said.
Salve had allegedly been seen with the child on the afternoon she disappeared. When he was finally nabbed by police, he reportedly admitted to the crime. He is currently in police custody.
India is still reeling from the death of a 23-year-old student who was brutally gang raped in New Delhi last month.
The horrific crime "cast a spotlight on an epidemic of violence against women in India, where a rape is reported on average every 20 minutes," according to Reuters. Protests have since erupted across the country as many cry for change.
Just this week, the Associated Press reported that a group of men have been arrested in India in connection with yet another gang rape of a bus passenger, this time in the state of Punjab. According to the report, seven men took turns raping the 29-year-old woman, who had been abducted by the bus driver and conductor during her ride home.
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