Mumbai Crime: Paedophile dhobi caught red-handed

BMC playground.

Officials of the Dindoshi police station nabbed a paedophile red-handed last afternoon while he was trying to lure a boy at a BMC playground on Daftry Road behind S K Patil General Hospital in Malad (E). He was later identified as Rajaram Yadav alias Dhobi (42), an employee of a local laundry that had been operational in the area for the past several years.

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Rajaram Yadav alias Dhobi was caught while trying to lure a boy playing at a BMC playground. PIC FOR REPRESENTATION

Commenting on Yadav's arrest, his employer said, "I trusted him to the extent that I left the shop keys with him, thinking that they were in safe hands. It was Yadav who would shut the shop, as I would leave early. I had never imagined that he would do such heinous things behind my back. I'm appalled by his behaviour."

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A local garment trader said that almost everyone in the area knew who Yadav was, as he has been working at the laundry for a long time now. "Besides ironing clothes at the laundry, he also worked for a few other establishments in the area. The laundry owner trusted him with his shop and this is how Yadav repaid his faith," the trader said.

Modus operandi
A police officer from Dindoshi police station said Yadav had been targeting boys playing at the playground for the past few weeks. He would lure them on the pretext of giving them money, chocolates and food, and take them to the shop. After sodomising his victims, he would threaten them of dire consequences if they told anyone about their ordeal.

However, Yadav's monstrosity came to the fore after one of his victims started bleeding profusely after being sexually exploited. Unable to bear the pain, the boy informed his parents. Horrified by their son's revelation, the parents approached Dindoshi police following which the cops laid a trap and nabbed Yadav last afternoon.

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Speaking to mid-day, one of Yadav's victims said, "He used to visit the playground and take us to the shop. He did bad things to us. Once done, he would threaten to kill our family members and us if we told him off. He did similar bad things to my friends as well. A few of them stopped visiting the playground. But we informed our parents when we couldn't bear it any longer and they decided to nab him. Today (Tuesday) afternoon, when he came to pick up one of us, our parents nabbed him. However, I'm still afraid of him."

Copspeak
A police officer from Dindoshi police station said, "A resident of Malad (W), Yadav is married with three children. In fact, one of his sons is married. He has been booked under Section 377 (unnatural sex) of the IPC and several sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012. He will be produced in the court on Wednesday. So far, we have recorded statement of three children. Further investigation is on."

When contacted, Senior Inspector Avinash Chavan from Dindoshi police station refused to comment.