Police officer allegedly raped yoga instructor at gunpoint – under the pretext of investigating a theft case

Dehradun: In a shocking case of alleged sexual assault, a police officer in Uttarakhand has been accused of repeatedly raping a yoga instructor at gunpoint under the pretext of investigating a burglary case in the capital Dehradun. The accused police officer has been suspended and an investigation has been launched against him.

ETV Bharat has learnt that the yoga trainer has filed a complaint against the then Kuthalgate police station in-charge of Rajpur police station, who is now posted at Mayur Vihar.

In her complaint, the woman, who works as a yoga trainer and lives in the jurisdiction of Rajpur police station, stated that her husband lives abroad. She said that in February 2023, her housekeeper stole jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh from the jewellery box and a theft case was registered at Rajpur police station on February 13, 2023. The woman said that the accused SI Manoj Bhatt was the outpost in-charge of Kuthalgate under Rajpur police station and the investigation into the theft incident was handed over to him.

The woman alleged that during the investigation, the outpost in-charge, Manoj Bhatt, took her to Nainital on December 17, 2023, on the pretext of approaching the Supreme Court in connection with the case. There, he raped her at gunpoint in a hotel room, she said.

The woman said that even after he was transferred as the in-charge of Mayur Vihar outpost under Raipur police station, the accused police officer repeatedly raped her at gunpoint in a rented accommodation on Sahasradhara Road and threatened her not to report the incident to the police.

The woman said she had lodged a complaint with the offices of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and DGP of the state in this regard.

SSP Ajay Singh said that considering the gravity of the situation, the case is being investigated by Sub-Inspector Bhavana under the supervision of Area Officer Premnagar Reena Rathore. Also, the accused SI Manoj Bhatt has been suspended with immediate effect, the SSP said.

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