Airhostess accuses pilot of rape

A 27-year-old pilot flying with Jet Airways was arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping a 22-year-old airhostess he was having a live-in relationship with.

A 27-year-old pilot flying with Jet Airways was arrested on Saturday for allegedly raping a 22-year-old airhostess he was having a live-in relationship with.

HT Image

The Powai police arrested Uttaranchal native Varun Agarwal for allegedly raping his colleague over a period of two years.

The police said Agarwal first met the complainant in 2007. Since they were from the same town and from similar religious and social backgrounds, they decided to take their friendship forward.

They informed their families about their liking for each other in 2008 and even started living together in an apartment on Marol Military road at Andheri (East).

The complainant, in her statement to the police, said initially she was not ready for a physical relationship but relented after Agarwal promised to marry her soon. She added that Agarwal would turn violent if she refused to get intimate with him.

The police said in April 2008, fed up of constant harassment from Agarwal, the girl got a transfer to Delhi.

Agarwal followed her and begged her to forgive him after which he brought her back to Mumbai.

After returning to Mumbai, the couple got married at a temple in Andheri (East).

“This was done to assure the victim of their legal status as husband and wife, even though that marriage was legally invalid,” said Police Sub-Inspector Asha Korke of Powai police station. The couple had even decided on April 28, 2010, as the date for the legal wedding.

Things, however, changed after the temple wedding.

The complainant said Agarwal gradually started drifting away from her and once even threatened to throw acid on her face, if she did not leave his house.

The reason for Agarwal’s change of heart, the complainant said, was that his father, Arvind Kumar, was against the wedding because he was getting several proposals for his son with offers of dowry.

Fed up of Agarwal’s refusal to marry her despite his promises, the girl approached the Powai police.

“The accused was arrested the moment he landed at the domestic airport,” said Senior Police Inspector Ashok Jadhav. A spokesperson for Jet Airways said, “We will cooperate with the authorities wherever required.”