Thane: A 27-year-old woman in Maharashtra’s Thane district has accused a man she befriended on social media of rape, blackmail, and torture, prompting the police to book him and five of his family members, an official said Tuesday.
The accused, a 38-year-old resident of Ulhasnagar, allegedly befriended the victim on Facebook in 2021. According to a complaint filed at the Vitthalwadi Police Station, he took her to a lodge, raped her, and recorded an objectionable video. He then used the footage to blackmail her, threatening to upload it online if she resisted his advances, the official said.
Over the past four years, the man reportedly forced the woman to marry him. After the marriage, he and his mother took her to Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, where she was subjected to abuse, the complaint alleges. Her hair and eyebrows were cut off and she was held captive. The accused also allegedly burned her with cigarette butts and struck her with a hot ‘tawa’ (griddle), causing severe injuries.
The victim further claimed that the accused seized her Aadhaar and PAN cards, along with her bank passbooks and used these documents to obtain loans fraudulently. Additionally, he and his family demanded money from her father and threatened to release the objectionable video if their demands were not met.
Read Also: Thane man uses hammer, iron rod to kill wife’s harasser; arrested
Police have registered a case against the accused and five of his family members under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 64(2)(m) (repeated rape), 74 (assault or use of criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), 87 (kidnapping and compelling marriage), 118(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 308(5) (extortion).
No arrests have been made yet, and an investigation is ongoing, the official said.
PNN & Agencies
