22-year-old serial kidnapper held in Nalasopara for sexually assaulting minors on pretext of marriage

The police said the accused`s father, uncle, brother, and mother also have criminal backgrounds

The Dindoshi police on Saturday arrested a serial kidnapper, 22, who used to lure minor girls on the pretext of being in love with them, and sexually assault them. He was arrested from Nalasopara and has previous criminal records including kidnapping under POCSO and attempt to murder charges.

He was arrested thrice before in 2014, 2015, and 2017 for attempt to murder and the kidnapping of two minor girls, but since he was a minor then, he was sent to a juvenile home.

The officers said that even after he was released from the children's home, he did not change. He committed many other crimes including robbery and body offenses, was caught again under various sections, and jailed.

The police said the accused's father, uncle, brother, and mother also have criminal backgrounds. His father, uncle, and brother are still imprisoned in a case of murder; there are criminal cases against his mother too.

He would target minor girls in his locality and after stalking them, he would propose to them. The girls who accepted his proposal were lured into eloping with him. The police said the accused would take the girls another area, live with them and rape them her after promising marriage.

He lured a 14-year-old girl last week from Malad east where he stayed and took her to Nalasopara. "On the complaint of her parents, we registered the case under various sections of IPC including kidnapping. Under the guidance of DCP Somnath Gharge several teams were formed. Under the supervision of Senior Inspector Jivan Kharat; API Suraj Raut, PSI MA Derveshi and Yogesh Kanherkar traced the accused in Nalasopara and caught him on Saturday," said API Dr Chandrakant Gharge of Dindoshi police station.

"The accused is very clever, and well aware of the working of the police. This is the reason that I used different routes and did not use a mobile phone. He plans everything and that is why before absconding, he had taken a house on rent in Nalasopara and also found work in catering," he added.