Mumbai rapist was arrested in 2015 for attempt to kidnap, walked out on bail | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Mumbai rapist was arrested in 2015 for attempt to kidnap, walked out on bail

Hindustan Times | By, Mumbai
Oct 18, 2018 07:33 AM IST

Cops say Rehan Qureshi confessed to involvement in similar cases, in which no complaints filed

Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi, the 34-year-old accused in the 2010 rape-murders of two minor girls at Nehru Nagar in Kurla, had also been arrested by the Taloja police in January 2015 for trying to kidnap an eight-year-old girl, according to the police. However, the serial sex offender was released on bail after a couple of months while the police did not find any antecedents.

Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi(HT)
Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi(HT)

On Tuesday, Navi Mumbai police said that forensic tests proved Qureshi, who was arrested last month for multiple cases of targeting and raping minors, committed the Kurla crimes. Qureshi is the accused in at least nine cases in Navi Mumbai, three in Palghar, two in Thane rural, one in Thane and five cases in Mumbai.

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According to the Navi Mumbai police, on January 23, 2015, Qureshi lured an eight-year-old playing outside her building to walk with him, when a man from the same building saw this, caught hold of Qureshi and beat him up as he suspected something amiss about Qureshi. Later, more people joined the man in thrashing Qureshi, before handing him over to the Taloja police, who booked him for kidnapping, outraging a woman’s modesty under sections 363, 354 and 368 of the Indian Penal Code, and also under sections 7 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act).

“After Qureshi’s arrest on January 23, he first spent time in Alibaug jail, and was later transferred to Taloja jail. He was granted bail on February 6, but remained in Taloja jail for a couple of months as he could not produce the necessary solvency and surety for bail,” said a police officer from the Navi Mumbai police, requesting anonymity.

The Navi Mumbai crime branch got to know that Qureshi was arrested only when a team of police officers stumbled upon a summons issued by Taloja police when his Mira Road house was searched after his arrest on September 26.

During interrogation, Rehan revealed he had been to several other locations. “Qureshi has told us about his involvement in similar cases at Panvel and at APMC, Vashi, where complaints have not been registered,” said a Navi Mumbai crime branch officer. The police have now appealed to citizens to come forward if there have been more complaints where minor girls were sexually assaulted.

Sanjay Kumar, commissioner of police, Navi Mumbai, said that Qureshi targeted the minors by pretending to talk over the phone. “Qureshi, while striking a conversation with the child, pretended to talk over the phone so that people around will not be suspicious. Whenever he felt anyone suspected him, he would simply walk away from the girl while pretending to talk on the phone,” said Kumar.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Pratik Salunke is a principal correspondent of Hindustan Times, Mumbai. He has spent a past decade covering crime and transport in cities of Mumbai and Pune. He has been covering terrorism, financial frauds and crime stories.

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