A 37-year-old man from Mumbai has been booked for allegedly raping a woman in Thane under the pretext of marriage and extorting Rs 3.42 lakh from her. The police have registered an FIR and initiated an investigation.
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A 37-year-old man has been booked for allegedly raping a woman under the pretext of marriage and extorting Rs 3.42 lakh from her in Maharashtra’s Thane district, police said on Sunday.
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According to PTI reports, the accused, a resident of Mulund in neighbouring Mumbai, met the 36-year-old victim through a matrimonial website between November 2023 and February 2024. The woman, originally from Narsinghpur in Madhya Pradesh, had been in contact with the accused, who assured her of marriage. However, he allegedly exploited this trust to establish physical relations with her on multiple occasions, taking her to various hotels across Thane district.
As per PTI, the victim further claimed in her complaint that the accused invited her to his birthday celebration, where he again sexually assaulted her. Additionally, he allegedly extorted Rs 3.42 lakh from her under different pretexts, exploiting her emotionally and financially.
The situation escalated when the woman questioned him about his promise of marriage and demanded her money back. According to police officials, the accused not only refused but also allegedly issued threats. He reportedly warned the victim that if she pursued the matter further, he would take his own life and leave behind a note falsely implicating her.
This incident bears a striking resemblance to a case reported in 2019 where a 23-year-old woman working in the film industry has accused a man of raping her under the false promise of marriage and forcibly chopping off her hair after an argument. According to the police, the alleged crime took place during a trip to Goa, where the couple had gone together.
Based on the woman's complaint, the police arrested the accused, identified as Amit Shelar, a resident of the Wangani area in Thane, on Wednesday.
As per PTI reports, the victim had been in a relationship with Shelar for over two years after meeting him in Mumbai. Over time, the two began living together in a house in Wangani. However, the woman later discovered that Shelar was involved in multiple affairs. When she confronted him about his alleged infidelity, he became abusive. She further alleged that during their time together, Shelar raped her multiple times, assuring her that he would marry her.
On May 3, the couple traveled to Goa and checked into a hotel. According to the complaint, an argument broke out between them during their stay. In a fit of rage, the accused allegedly assaulted her, forcibly chopped off her hair, and abandoned her at the hotel before fleeing. The traumatised woman returned to Thane and registered a complaint at the local police station.
(With inputs from PTI)
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