Mumbai crime: 15-year-old raped, held captive in Malad school

Minor was taken to the school by 33-yr-old accused, under the pretext of going somewhere nice; she was raped, left locked there and was freed by him only after he was picked up by cops for questioning

A 15-year-old girl was kidnapped on Tuesday, held captive in a municipal school and raped for almost an entire night in Malad. After raping the girl, the accused, Navin Dattaram Dhotre (33), left her locked in the municipal school, but her parents had already lodged a missing complaint.

The police came to know that the girl had last been seen with Dhotre and took him in for questioning. Dhotre did not reveal anything to the police, but when he was let off, he decided to drop the girl to her home. He was sure he would not be arrested, as he had threatened the girl with dire consequences if she spoke about the incident.

Officials from the Dindoshi police said Dhotre, a resident of Goregaon, approached the girl on September 16, when she was returning home. He promised the girl, who also lives in the same area, that he would take her somewhere nice, but took her to a Malad municipal school and raped her.

“As soon as they reached the school, the accused forced himself on her. He raped her repeatedly for an entire night. After the rape, the accused threatened the survivor of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone. He then locked the girl inside the school and went away,” said an officer from Dindoshi police station.

Cops said that the accused managed to get access to the school since there are no security guards there at night. “It is a civic school and the authorities claim that they cannot afford security guards unless the corporation appoints one,” the officer added.

Meanwhile, the parents of the girl the father works with a private firm while the mother is a housewife reached Dindoshi police station to file a missing complaint. The police swung into action immediately and formed a team to look for the girl. During investigations, a local resident told the cops that the girl was last seen with Dhotre.

The police found Dhotre in the wee hours of September 17 and brought him to the police station. He was interrogated but he did not reveal anything, and was let off. Fearing arrest, Dhotre went to free the girl and dropped her home. He threatened the girl that she would have to face dire consequences if she spoke about the incident.

The parents were happy to see that the girl was back and they informed the cops. When the cops questioned the girl, she told them everything. Dhotre was immediately nabbed, and he told the police that he had thought he would never be arrested as he had threatened the girl.

Dhotre was produced in the special court set up for sensitive cases against minor girls yesterday and remanded in police custody. “Dhotre has been charged under sections dealing with kidnapping of minors, rape, and threatening of the IPC, and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” said PSI Pankaj Wankhede from Dindoshi police station.

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