Man held from Vadodara for raping Mumbai woman on pretext of marriage

Accused also threatened the 45-year-old Malad resident, who he had befriended in 2016

A 55-year-old man from Vadodara, Gujarat, was arrested on Friday for allegedly raping a 45-year-old woman in Malad on the pretext of marriage and threatening her. The accused who hails from Vadodara, has been living in Mumbai for the past few years. According to the Mumbai crime branch, posing as the deputy inspector general of the fire department, he had also cheated several people in the Gujarat along with his associates.

According to the Mumbai crime branch, posing as the deputy inspector general of the fire department, he had also cheated several people in the Gujarat along with his associates. (Photo for representation)

The accused met the woman, a Malad (West) resident, who is a widow, in 2016. He promised to marry her and they both had a physical relationship. However, whenever she asked him about marriage, he avoided her and gave excuses. On one such instance, he went away to Gujarat, said an officer. He returned in a few days and convinced the woman he would marry her, but that he needed some time to settle his business, said the officer.

In December 2018, when the woman insisted on their marriage, he refused and threatened her. He then left Mumbai and stopped responding to her. He started living in Vadodara, in a rented house, said the officer.

The woman then approached Malwani police and on January 9, a case was registered against the accused under sections 376 (punishment for rape), 376 (2) (punishment of rape on multiple occasion) 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Unit 11 of the Mumbai crime branch started conducting a parallel inquiry and a team went to Vadodara to look for him. “We traced him on Thursday night. He was brought to Mumbai on Friday morning and was handed over to the Malwani police for further probe,” said inspector Chimaji Adhav of Unit 11.

The police said the accused had cheated several people in central Gujarat by posing as a cop and kept fake identity cards. He was earlier arrested by the Gujarat police in a cheating case and the police found morphed photographs of the accused in police uniforms with senior politicians, added an officer. “The accused also cheated people by taking money from them citing excuses such as death of a relative, raid in his factory, or his own illness. After taking the money, he would switch off his phone and cut all contacts,” added an officer.