Panvel rape accused in jail

The four accused arrested by the Kalamboli police in connection with sexual assault case at Kalyani Mahila and Balak Seva Sanstha in Panvel were produced before the court on Saturday.

They are remanded in police custody till March 15.
Ramchandra Karanjule, 50, his wife Surekha, 41, daughter Kalyani, 23, and caretaker Sonali Badade, 21, were the accused who were arrested in the case.

"My clients are innocent and they are framed guilty by Deepak Kasbe, who runs an ashram in Pune. Kasbe had tried to defame Kalyani before by uploading her photographs on a social network site and he was arrested in the cyber crime. As revenge, Kasbe approached the court with fake case and defamed my clients," said RK Patil, an advocate of the accused.

"While speaking to the girls, they mentioned Ramchandra as one who had sexually assaulted them," said the police official on condition of anonymity.

"Among 19 girls, five were found raped of which four were deaf and dumb while only one could speak. The experts interacted with the girls and are yet to submit a written record of their statement," said an official from Child Welfare Committee from Raigad district who registered the complaint against the ashram.