The police had to hunt him down, after he absconded on finding out about the rape complaint lodged against him
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Mumbai Crime Branch's Unit XI arrested a coconut vendor on Wednesday for allegedly raping a 12-year-old from his locality in Charkop. The police had to hunt him down, after he absconded on coming to know about the complaint lodged against him, and caught him after a chase and search operation lasting 24 hours through the mangroves in the area.
Accused Sachin Rajeya was caught from the mangroves in Charkop
The arrested accused has been identified as Sachin Rajeya, 22, who, crime branch officers said, was known to the girl's family and sold coconuts near her home. The crime happened on Sunday, when, like usual, she had gone to buy coconuts from him. Officers said he lured her into the mangroves on some pretext and raped her there. A complaint was lodged after the girl confided in her grandmother about the violation.
The Charkop police and crime branch officers were searching him when an informer tipped off the latter about the accused hiding in the mangroves in Charkop. The crime branch laid a trap and continued to search inside the thick bushes for 24 hours when officers finally spotted him trying to escape. Assistant inspector Nitin Uttekar, and constables Santosh Desai and Ravi Bhambid, who had gone deep inside the mangroves, caught him. His interrogation revealed that he has been arrested in the past for petty crimes and sexual offences.
"The accused has been booked under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and various sections of the POCSO Act. He was produced in court, which sent him to judicial custody," said an officer from Charkop police station.
Also read: Man arrested for trying to rape a married woman
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