Woman Arrested In Gujarat For Murdering Her Boyfriend 22 Years Ago In Maharashtra's Washim

· Free Press Journal

In a major breakthrough, the accused in a 22-year-old murder case was arrested on Friday by Maharashtra's Washim police. The accused, identified as Panchshila Thorat, had been absconding for more than 22 years after allegedly murdering her boyfriend in 2004.

The series of events traces back to 2000, when Panchshila Thorat and her alleged boyfriend, Madhav Sadashiv Gote (20), were in a live-in relationship. They both ran away from their homes after confirming their relationship.

Police recount case history

Speaking on the case, Police Inspector Sanjay Chaudhary said, "In a 2004 murder case, the accused woman, Panchshila Thorat, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions Court. After that, Panchshila Thorat appealed in the High Court and the Supreme Court. During this period, she was released on bail. In 2025, the Supreme Court changed her life imprisonment sentence and awarded her 10 years of imprisonment. Since then, Washim Police had been searching for her."

According to Loksatta, Madhav Sadashiv Gote also had physical relations with Thorat on the pretext of marrying her; however, he later left her. Following his alleged deception, Thorat filed a police complaint alleging that Gote had raped her.

The report further states that even after the police complaint, Gote used to threaten and harass Thorat. Following his continuous harassment, on June 25, 2004, she allegedly murdered him while he was sleeping. She first stabbed him in the neck and then hit him on the head with a stone.

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Court proceedings

After the murder, a case was registered at Washim Police Station against Panchshila Thorat. Following her arrest in the case, she remained in jail for nearly six months before being released on bail.

Soon, the Washim Sessions Court found Thorat guilty of the crime and sentenced her to life imprisonment. Following the verdict, she approached the High Court, which reduced the punishment from life imprisonment to 10 years' imprisonment. Following this verdict, she approached the Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court's decision. After learning of the Supreme Court's decision, the accused woman went absconding.

Arrested in Gujarat

After leaving Maharashtra, she went to Gujarat, where she married a Gujarati man and started a family. It is worth noting that police traced her through a social media post shared by her husband, which included her photograph.

The Washim Cyber team and the police, using these clues, traced the accused and arrested her. As the accused was just 20 years old at the time of the crime and 22 years had passed since the case, it was difficult for the police officials to identify her. However, with the help of the Khambhalia Police Station in Gujarat, along with the local cyber team, they were able to arrest her.

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