Ninth accused arrested in Palghar gang-rape case

The Palghar police on Sunday night made the ninth arrest in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl from Satpati village in the district. The other eight accused, all in their 20s and many of whom are known to the victim, had been arrested in the early hours of Sunday

Mumbai: The Palghar police on Sunday night made the ninth arrest in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl from Satpati village in the district. The other eight accused, all in their 20s and many of whom are known to the victim, had been arrested in the early hours of Sunday.

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Superintendent of Police Balasaheb Patil, Palghar said, “We recorded a supplementary statement from the victim on Sunday, during which she told us that one more accused was involved in the crime. He was picked up from his residence on Sunday night.”

According to inquiries so far, the ninth accused was present at the scene of the crime when the offence was being committed. The police are still verifying if he had any direct involvement in the crime.

According to officials, the victim has earlier been in contact with at least three of them. While a couple of them have pandal decoration businesses, the others do odd jobs for a living.

“We are probing if they have targeted the complainant or any other victim in the past. We have examined their phones and have not found any video of the incident. We have also sought details from other police stations in the district about any past criminal records that they may have, but no cases have come to light so far,” said a police officer.

One of the accused, who is the victim’s friend, had allegedly convinced her to come with him for an outing on Friday, after which he took her to an abandoned bungalow in the Mahim village in Palghar. The accused allegedly forced themselves on her in the bungalow as well as on Tembhi beach.

The officer added that there are around 20 bungalows in Mahim constructed around five years ago but the project was abandoned before it could be completed. Subsequently, it became a hotspot for people to gather and consume narcotics and liquor. The police said that the accused would regularly gather there in the evenings.

The incident came to light when the victim did not come home for a long time and her father approached the police. She was traced to a neighbour’s house. She was scared to go home as her parents had punished her earlier for not coming home on time and she was also traumatised because of the incident.

She was counselled and given medical attention, after which she narrated her ordeal, leading to a night-long operation in which the accused were traced and apprehended. They were charged with gang rape, assault, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code, along with sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.