Brazilian student rape accused may have abused 1 more woman

A sessions court last week denied bail to Nandekar, citing that probe into the other sexual abuse case was pending.

Padmakar Nandekar — a member of Cuffe Parade Residents Association — arrested for allegedly raping a Brazilian exchange student, may face another probe as the prosecution has said he abused one more student who visited India in 2017.

Padmakar Nandekar — a member of Cuffe Parade Residents Association — arrested for allegedly raping a Brazilian exchange student, may face another probe as the prosecution has said he abused one more student who visited India in 2017. (AP Photo)

A sessions court last week denied bail to Nandekar, citing that probe into the other sexual abuse case was pending. As per the prosecution, Nandekar, 54, the host father of the 18-year-old Brazilian national staying with him as part of the Rotary Youth Exchange Programme, had spiked her drink at a hotel and raped her on April 15. He was arrested on May 21. But when the incident took place, the woman was staying with another host family and not Nandekar, the prosecution said. The prosecution had, in court last week, argued he had sexually abused another student who had visited India in 2017. The woman had made an oral complaint against him with the Rotary Club, where he was a former president, the prosecution said. The club had, however, given him a clean chit after an inquiry, the prosecution said. It said these allegations will be probed and investigators are yet to collect evidence.

Nandekar denied all the allegations. The defence questioned the credit card bills submitted by the prosecution and said the Brazilian national had used the card to spend ₹30,000 after the alleged incident. His counsel submitted that though the alleged incident took place on April 15, the case was registered a month later. The defence claimed that as Nandekar is very active in the club, his opponents have “hatched a conspiracy” to implicate him and that the survivor had demanded money from him before approaching the police. But the prosecution said as per the rules of the exchange programme, the man had to pay the woman ₹6,000 a month.

The court noted there are “inconsistencies” in the woman’s email to the head of the body handling the exchange in Brazil over the incident on May 14. But referring to messages she sent a friend a day after the incident, it said, “But, there remains her feelings which she expressed with her friend... that she was shocked... and wanted to die, [this] shows she wasn’t prepared and unwilling for the said incident.”