Valsad Student Rape and Murder Case: Serial Killer Rapes Body for 1.5 Hours, Buys Milk, and Jumps 10-Foot Wall Despite Disability

A second-year B.Com student from the Motiwada area in Valsad’s Pardi taluka was abducted on November 14, taken to a nearby Ambawadi, where she was raped and then murdered. 

The Valsad police, after intense efforts, arrested the accused on the 11th day, and he is currently in police remand. The police spent 4 hours reconstructing the crime scene with the accused, who detailed how he targeted the young woman.

During the late-night reconstruction, the accused, Rahul Jate, told the police how he strangled the young woman to death, then dragged her body to a nearby farm and threw her over a four-foot-high wire fence. There, he raped her for an hour and a half. 

Afterward, he went to the Udvada station, where he bought milk and a bottle of water before returning to the farm. When he noticed people nearby, he hid in the farm. Later, seizing the opportunity, he jumped over a 10-foot-high wall and escaped. However, in his haste, the accused left behind some of his belongings.

Step-by-Step Account of the Crime: What Happened in Three Hours?

The accused, Rahul, was taken to the crime scene by a police team including the DySP for a re-construction of the events. The re-construction began near the Udvada railway station. According to the details provided during the re-construction, Rahul was sitting near the railway tracks, smoking a bidi. Around 3:00 AM, he saw the student walking alone near pole number 13 of railway track number 217, which caught his attention.

At this moment, he followed her, and upon reaching an open area by the railway track, he used a stone near a water crossing to cross the path. Soon after, he approached her near Ambawadi. Without warning, he grabbed her by the neck and strangled her to death. Afterward, he dragged her body to a nearby farm, lifted her, and threw her over a four-foot-high wire fence. He then committed rape for an hour and a half with the lifeless body.

This sequence of events unfolded over a span of about three hours, according to the reconstruction.

Accused Commits Rape for 90 Minutes, Escapes After Jumping Over 10-Foot Wall

During the 90 minutes he spent with the victim’s lifeless body, the accused also cut his nails and used the clippings to remove the victim’s SIM card from her mobile phone. After this, he went to Udvada station where he bought a bottle of milk and water. He then returned to the farm where the victim’s body lay. As he returned, local people nearby noticed his activity and he hid in the vicinity of Ambawadi.

Later, taking advantage of an opportunity, the accused jumped over a 10-foot-high wall using an angle for support and escaped. However, in his haste, he left behind his belongings at the scene. Afterward, the accused wandered around the Udvada railway station and highway area until around 1:30 AM.

Accused Travels from Udvada to Valsad, Confesses During Re-Construction

After leaving Udvada railway station, the accused could not catch a train and decided to head to Pardi railway station. At around 2:30 AM, he boarded a train to Valsad. During the re-construction, the accused confessed that from Valsad, he traveled to Surat and Vadodara by another train.

The Valsad police team took over four hours to complete the re-construction of the entire sequence of events. Under the leadership of DySP B.N. Dave from Vapi, along with competent officers and the presence of a government panch, the accused detailed the entire sequence. The Valsad police have meticulously recorded all the events and have initiated further investigation.

Police Cross-Checks Items Purchased by the Accused

The Valsad police team recovered the victim’s mobile cover during the re-construction, which was found near the crime scene. Additionally, the accused was taken to the shop he had mentioned during the re-construction. At the shop, the shopkeeper was cross-checked regarding the items purchased by the accused on the day of the incident. CCTV footage from the shop showed the accused making purchases and passing by the shop.

To expedite the investigation, Valsad DySP K. Verma, Vapi DySP B.N. Dave, Pardi Police Station PI G.R. Gadhvi, LCB PI Utsav Barot, SOG PI A.Y. Roj, Vapi Town PI J. Rathod, and Valsad City PI D.D. Parmar have been included in the SIT (Special Investigation Team). Valsad SP Karanraj Vaghela announced the formation of the SIT team on Tuesday night, which will conduct the detailed investigation of the case.

Accused on Remand Until December 5

In the case of rape and murder of the college student from Pardi’s Motiwada area, which took place eleven days ago, the police team successfully apprehended the accused, Rahul Jate, on Sunday at the Vapi station. During initial questioning, the accused admitted to several crimes, including thefts, robberies, rape, and murders across different states of the country, shocking the police.

Rahul, who is believed to have a twisted mindset, confessed to five murders within just 25 days. Before being caught by the Vapi police on Sunday night, he also confessed to raping a woman on a train and then coldly murdering her. Given his disturbing mentality, police believe that further questioning may lead to the resolution of other unsolved crimes.

In this case, the Valsad police have obtained a remand for the accused until December 5 to continue their investigation and gather additional evidence.

How the Accused Was Captured

Under the leadership of three DySPs from Valsad, the Valsad LCB, SOG, and police officers from all police stations in the district joined forces to investigate the case. Based on CCTV footage obtained from the Vapi railway station, investigators found clothing items belonging to a suspicious individual that matched items found at the crime scene, including a T-shirt, tracks, a bag, and a gamchha. The young man’s general disability also helped identify him as a key suspect.

CCTV footage from two hours before the incident showed the suspect at the Vapi railway station, which helped in identifying him. Further, the bag recovered from near the victim’s body contained the same T-shirt, gamchha, tracks, and bag, leading the Valsad police team to confirm the suspect’s identity. The police team examined over 2,000 CCTV footages and conducted interrogations of key suspects. Using technical surveillance and the assistance of informants, the accused was successfully apprehended.