Tuesday, February 02, 2016
By Suresh Golani
In yet another horrifying case of sexual exploitation, an 18-year-old youth was arrested by the Kashimira police on charges of raping a minor girl under the false pretext of marriage. The crime came to light more than a year after the crime when the girl (now 16) delivered a baby girl, but the accused still refused to marry, prompting her to muster courage and register a complaint against him.
According to the police the accused who has been identified as Sandip Suresh Pawar (18), is resident of Chene village near Ghodbunder who had come into contact with the girl early last year. Pawar established physical relationship with the girl on several occasions and throughout her pregnancy, he allegedly kept giving her marriage promises.
After the delivery, he started avoiding her and recently became incommunicado, prompting the minor’s family to register a complaint.
“We have arrested the accused and booked him under section 376 of the IPC and under the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012,” confirmed Senior Police Inspector Anil Kadam.He will be produced in court on Tuesday. Further investigation is on.