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Driver arrested for raping, blackmailing woman for over a year
He took her to a hotel in July 2024, where he spiked her drink, raped her and clicked obscene photos, following which he continued to blackmail and abuse her for over a year
Mumbai: A 37-year-old driver was arrested on Sunday for allegedly drugging, raping, and blackmailing a 35-year-old house-help who worked in the same south Mumbai building as him. He took her to a hotel in July 2024, where he spiked her drink, raped her and clicked obscene photos, following which he continued to blackmail and abuse her for over a year.
According to the police, the incident dates back to 2024 when the accused Indra Mohan Bharti befriended the woman and in July that year, he took her to a hotel in the Fort area saying there was some ritual being performed. There, he offered her a cold drink, in which he added sedatives, and allegedly assaulted her and also clicked obscene photos.
“For over a year after the incident, he allegedly used the photographs to threaten and blackmail her for sex and money. Even after she travelled to her native place, the accused continued to call and demand money,” said a police officer.
Unable to bear the harassment, the woman approached the police on October 17 this year, after which the police registered a complaint against him under Sections 64 (punishment for rape) and 123 (causing hurt through poison or harmful substances with intent to commit an offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“The offence occurred between July 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. The case was initially registered at Malabar Hill police station on October 17 and later transferred to MRA Marg police station, as the assault took place in the Fort area,” the officer added.
The police traced him to a location in Malabar Hill, with the help of updates on his social media accounts, and arrested him on Sunday. The police also said further investigation is underway to determine whether Bharti had similarly targeted other women.
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