Man arrested for raping a woman

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Navi Mumbai police have filed charges against a man who allegedly raped a 33-year-old woman on the pretext of helping her financially, police said.

The Panvel police station officer told PTI that based on the woman’s complaint, they have filed a case under Section 376 (rape) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code against the 53-year-old accused. The officer said that the accused has not been arrested yet.

The woman reportedly told Navi Mumbai police that the accused called her to his house in Mankhurd in neighbouring Mumbai under the pretext of offering her financial help and raped her there.

5 arrested for kidnapping and attempted extortion in Thane district

Meanwhile, in another unrelated incident, five members of a gang were arrested for allegedly kidnapping a 60-year-old real estate agent and his friend in Thane district of Maharashtra state and attempting to extort money from them.

According to Rahulkumar Patil, senior inspector of Kashigaon police station, four women and a man were arrested after filing complaints under sections 364A (kidnapping for ransom), 384 (extortion) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, another PTI report said.

According to the report, the incident began when the plaintiff received a call from a woman seeking work. He and his friend were scheduled to meet at a hotel on May 21. While they were discussing career opportunities, the defendant began recording a video of the plaintiff and his friend.

Sensing that something was wrong, the two men tried to escape but were dragged into a waiting auto-rickshaw and driven to Gorai, where they were attacked by three women and a man, the report added.

The gang demanded money and led the victims to an ATM, but they were unable to withdraw cash. The men were taken to Borivali, where the accused threatened not to release them until they paid Rs 100,000. The gang reportedly threatened to make false rape allegations and circulate the footage on social media. The victims were released in the early hours of May 22.

Police arrested Sonali Mahendra Mahale (28), Nisha Nagesh Gaikwad (45), her daughter Darshana (22), her sister Deepa Rohit Prajapati (38) and Mallik Ahmed Fakki (24) based on CCTV footage and information, the report added.