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Another rape case filed against Prafulla Lodha in Bavdhan
Senior Police Inspector Anil Vibhute of Bavdhan Police Station confirmed that the woman filed a written complaint on July 17
A fresh rape case has been registered against Prafulla Lodha, a day after he was arrested by the Mumbai Police for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman and two minors. The new case, filed with the Bavdhan police under Pimpri-Chinchwad Police commissionerate, adds to the mounting legal trouble for Lodha, who is already in custody in the Mumbai case.
According to Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, a 35-year-old woman from Kothrud approached Bavdhan police on July 17 and lodged a complaint alleging that Lodha had called her to a hotel in Balewadi under the pretext of helping her husband secure a job. There, he allegedly raped her and threatened her with dire consequences if she spoke out.
Senior Police Inspector Anil Vibhute of Bavdhan Police Station confirmed that the woman filed a written complaint on July 17. “The incident occurred on May 27 at a luxury hotel in Pune, where the victim was called by the accused. The police have inspected the crime scene, and further investigation is underway,” he said.
According to Vibhute, the victim is the sole breadwinner in her family. The accused allegedly threatened her with job loss if she revealed what had happened between them. This might be the reason she filed the complaint nearly two months later.
Based on her complaint, Bavdhan Police have registered an FIR under Sections 64(1) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the process has been initiated to obtain a transit remand for the accused.
The case is currently under investigation. The Pimpri-Chinchwad police are in the process of seeking Lodha’s custody from Mumbai Police for further interrogation.
Lodha, believed to be well-connected in political and business circles, is now at the centre of a wider political storm after allegations surfaced linking him to a suspected honey trap operation.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut shared a photograph on social media platform X that shows Lodha alongside BJP leader Girish Mahajan, intensifying the political row. In his post, Raut accused Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of misleading the assembly by denying the existence of a honey trap scandal in the state.
“CM Fadnavis said there is no honey trap in Maharashtra. Institute a CBI inquiry on this photo and the truth will come out,” Raut wrote. He alleged that four cabinet ministers and several government officers were caught in the trap, adding, “The BJP used Lodha to entrap opposition leaders, but it boomeranged.”
Raut further claimed that at least two ministers involved in the scandal are from the BJP and that Fadnavis was aware of Lodha’s activities well before the police cases surfaced.
Lodha is facing charges under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code related to rape, criminal intimidation, and sexual assault. More survivors may come forward in the coming days, said a senior police officer involved in the investigation.
