45-year-old in Mumbai rapes 17-year-old ‘wife’ thrice, booked

According to the complaint, the accused raped the teenager from April 4-6, when they were in Haji Malang in Kalyan. Pandurang Darade, senior inspector, Deonar police station, said the accused has fled to Bihar.

The Deonar police have booked a 45-year-old man for allegedly raping his 17-year-old ‘wife’ thrice in four days. The 53-year-old father of the minor had got her married to the accused after being told by the accused that the girl had a dream in which a saint had ordered him to marry her.

The minor told a relative that the accused had raped her. Her father then approached the police on Wednesday and an FIR was registered. (HT Photo)

According to the complaint, the accused raped the teenager from April 4-6, when they were in Haji Malang in Kalyan. Pandurang Darade, senior inspector, Deonar police station, said the accused has fled to Bihar.

“The minor’s medical examination was done. The accused has been booked under sections 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code and 6 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. We are searching for him,” he said.

According to the police, the minor’s father — the complainant — and the accused work in an envelope-manufacturing firm and were devotees of a saint, who has a dargah in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP). In 2017, the accused started living with the complainant’s family in Govandi after his wife went away to her native village in Bihar. According to the FIR, on March 25, the accused told the complainant that the saint had appeared in the minor’s dream, and had ordered him to marry her and visit the UP dargah. “Although the complainant initially refused saying his daughter was studying and was too young, the accused told him that if they didn’t get married, the saint would get angry. He asked the complainant to not to tell anyone about this,” said an officer.

This angered the minor’s brother, who fought with the complainant and the accused. On reaching Gorakhpur, the accused, the complainant and the minor left for Mughalsarai. In Mughalsarai, the accused asked the complainant to return to Mumbai along with his daughter, and left for Bihar. On returning home, the complainant’s sister asked the minor if the accused did anything wrong to her. This is when the minor told them that the accused had raped her. Her father then approached the police on Wednesday and an FIR was registered.