A 12-year-old girl, who had gone missing while on her way home on Saturday in Pune, was found dead a few metres away from her home.
Pooja Vilas Jadhav (16), who lives in the Pashan suburb of Pune, failed to return home after her tuitions, so her parents filed a missing person’s complaint. Her brother Vicky discovered her body the next morning. The victim was a student of Class 10 at the Sahyadri International School.
Senior police inspector Ajay Kadam of Chaturshrungi police station said “They waited till 11.15 pm and finally filed a missing person’s complaint with us at around 11.45 pm on Saturday. Her brother then found her body next morning and they alerted the police. The body was found near a shrub at the corner of the road. We have sent the body for post-mortem at the Sassoon Hospital; the final report will ascertain the real cause of death.” Pooja’s father is a retired military serviceman and now works as a security guard for one of the several defence establishments in Pune.
Police inspector Subhash Nikam said that the case has baffled them since the preliminary report has ruled out both rape and murder.
“The cause of death is still a mystery. There were, however, some minor scratches near her stomach, but they seem to non-conclusive,” he added.