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Court acquits Navy officer accused of sexual assault, extortion threats
According to the FIR, the complainant met the accused in 2018 through a matrimonial website. She alleged that he gained her trust by claiming to be a senior government officer and showing forged identification documents
A Pune Sessions Court has acquitted a Navy officer accused of sexually assaulting a woman after allegedly posing as a RAW agent, CBI and ATS officer and nuclear scientist. The court held that the prosecution failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The order was passed on Tuesday by Additional Sessions Judge PR Chaudhary while the defence was represented by advocate Jitendra Ashok Janapurkar. The acquitted accused hailed from Jayvayu Vihar in Greater Noida , Uttar Pradesh and was residing at Rajesambhaji Sainiki Vidyalaya, Kanchanwadi, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) at the time of the alleged incident.
The accused was charged under Sections 376(2)(n) (repeated sexual assault), 420 (cheating), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
According to the FIR, the complainant met the accused in 2018 through a matrimonial website. She alleged that he gained her trust by claiming to be a senior government officer and showing forged identification documents.
The woman alleged that the accused first assaulted her at a Pune guest house after spiking her drink at the Rajendrasinhji Institute and repeatedly forced her into physical relations at different locations in Pune and Aurangabad, threatening to leak videos and harm her child if she refused or went to the police. She alleged that he extorted ₹5,000 from her under threats and forced her to accompany him to her apartment.
Later, the woman approached a women’s organisation, which helped her file a complaint at the Bharati Vidyapeeth Police Station. The case was later transferred to the Koregaon Park Police Station.
During the trial, the prosecution examined four witnesses. Defence counsel cross-examined the witnesses and argued that the evidence was inconsistent and lacked corroboration.
After reviewing the evidence and testimonies, the court observed that there was no conclusive proof to support the allegations and that the prosecution had failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Consequently, the court acquitted the accused of charges.
