A convict serving death sentence on the charges of rape and murder of a minor girl in 2016 at Kopardi in Maharashtra was found hanging in his cell at the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune on Sunday morning.According to the jail officials, the convict has been identified as Jitendra Babulal Shinde (32) who was undergoing psychiatric treatment during his term. Initial investigation suggests it to be a suicide.The police officials stated that the convicted used towel strops to hang himself at the iron bar above door of the cell. Soon, after the prison got to know about the incident, he alerted other guards at the jail. Soon after, he was taken for a medical examination where he was declared dead.What is Kopardi rape case all aboutAccording to the information, a sessions court in Ahmednagar district in 2017, sentenced three men, including Shinde, life imprisonment for the rape and murder of a teen girl in Kopardi village of the district in 2016. The girl belonged to the Maratha community, was found murdered after being raped on July 13, 2016.The incident had triggered widespread protests by Maratha community, across the state.The other two accused in the case are Santosh Gorakh Bhawal and Nitin Gopinath Bhailume.
