Thane: The Wagle Estate police arrested a 34-year-old man who was evading police for seven years in connection with a rape case registered at Wagle Estate Police Station. The police said the case was filed under sections of the Indian Penal Code for rape, criminal intimidation, and acts committed by several persons with common intention. The arrest concludes an extensive manhunt that began in 2018. According to police, the primary accused was visiting the victim’s residence in Wagle Estate between September 2016 and June 21, 2018, when she was alone. The accused allegedly threatened the victim with poisoning using a chemical called potash and damaging her reputation if she didn’t comply with his demands.
On September 15, 2016, he physically assaulted and sexually assaulted the victim. Two accomplices also reportedly threatened and sexually assaulted the victim on separate occasions. While the two accomplices were arrested on November 16, 2018, the main accused was on the run, hiding across multiple states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The breakthrough in the case came after extensive technical analysis of mobile phone records belonging to the suspect’s relatives, combined with intelligence gathered through informants. Police finally located the accused in West Bengal, where a special investigation team held him before bringing him to Wagle Estate Police Station in Thane.
The further legal process has been initiated against this accused, said a police officer.