The Sanpada police here have arrested a live-in couple who allegedly committed a sexual offence with their colleague. The 19-year-old victim has alleged that Rakesh Anant Gharat (30) and his live-in partner Ritu alias Ragini Shah (24) sexually exploited the former from August to September this year.
The victim, a resident of Turbhe, first met Gharat at her workplace and allegedly had an affair with him.
The duo often met after work at his friend’s flat in Sanpada, where he allegedly raped her after promising to marry her.
Video clip“The victim alleged that the accused made a video clip and used to threaten her, saying he would upload it on social media sites. She was then forced to compromise to his demands,” Senior Police Inspector Rukmini Galande of the Sanpada police station said. The police said that the victim was forced to visit Gharat even after she left the job.
The accused soon started a live-in relation with Ritu, another colleague, following which the couple exploited the victim on several occasions.
“The victim has claimed that Ritu, on several occasions, had indulged in unnatural sex with her by blackmailing her with the video clip. After around two months of harassment, the victim decided to approach us to end the trauma,” Ms. Galande said.
Charges under IT Act“Since both the accused were involved in the crime, we have charged both under sections of rape and unnatural sex. We have also charged them under the Information Technology Act since they used a video clip to blackmail the victim,” the Inspector added.
The accused were arrested under Sections 376, 377, 417, 354C, 504 and 34 of the IPC and Sections 66A and 67 A of the IT Act.
