Rajkot, August 28: An auto-rickshaw driver has been arrested in Rajkot for the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of a 76-year-old woman. The suspect, Ramesh Vaidhukia, has a history of serious criminal offenses, including three prior cases involving grave charges.
Police officials reported that the investigation began as a case of accidental death. However, forensic examinations and the circumstances surrounding the death led authorities to suspect foul play.
The woman’s body was discovered on August 21 near Aji Dam. Following this, the Aji Dam police reviewed CCTV footage and, based on intelligence, identified Ramesh Vaidhukia as a suspect.
The deceased, Leela Solanki, was recognized after police circulated details of an unidentified body in local newspapers. Her grandson, Ajay Solanki, informed the police that he had dropped her off near the Sat Hanuman Temple on Kuwadwa Road around 11 AM on August 19, where she regularly begged. When he returned at approximately 5:30 PM, she was missing. The family filed a missing person report at the Kuwadwa Road police station on August 20.
According to police, Vaidhukia confessed to taking Leela with him on August 19 around 4 PM, claiming he would take her home. He allegedly assaulted her with a wooden stick before transporting her to the Aji Dam area near Mughal Mataji Temple, where he sexually assaulted her and continued to beat her until she died.
Afterward, he wrapped her body in cloth and disposed of it by the Aji Dam, attempting to erase evidence by fleeing in his auto-rickshaw.
Police revealed that Vaidhukia has been implicated in three serious criminal cases previously, including a 2010 murder case at Chotila police station, where he was accused of killing a man with a stick and stones and disposing of the body in a well. He also faced charges in a 2018 case at Thorala police station involving the alleged kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of a three-year-old girl, as well as a robbery and murder case involving a 70-year-old woman at Kuwadwa Road police station in 2018. The 2018 child rape and murder case is particularly relevant to the current investigation.
Authorities confirmed that further legal proceedings against Vaidhukia are ongoing.
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