The Virar police on Sunday arrested a 35-year-old man for allegedly forcing himself on a 43-year-old woman, after an alert passer-by claimed to have witnessed the crime and informed a patrolling policeman.
Constable on patrol
According to the police, the incident occurred in a secluded lane in the Sant Nagar area in Virar in the early hours of Sunday when constable Yuvraj Waghmode was on patrolling duty. A passer-by stopped Mr. Waghmode and told him that he had seen a couple in a compromising position some distance ahead.
“Mr. Waghmode, who was patrolling the Manvel Pada areas, rushed to Sant Nagar immediately. On reaching the spot, he saw a couple getting on a bike and confronted them, and the woman told him that the man had raped her,” assistant police inspector B.T. Ghandat, Virar police station, said.
After conducting preliminary inquiries, Mr. Waghmode took the couple to the police station, and an FIR of kidnapping and rape under the Indian Penal Code was filed against the accused, identified as Pravin Jadhav.
Mr. Jadhav, a resident of Nallasopara, claims to be a social worker who lives with his parents and two brothers. The police are trying to get more details on his family. Inquiries so far indicate that the victim is not known to him, officers said.
‘Not cooperating’
“There is a delay in the probe as Mr. Jadhav is not being cooperative. The victim is still recovering from the trauma and is not in the position to give a statement as of now. She was sent for a medical examination and we are waiting for the reports,” Mr. Ghandat said.
He added that no past criminal record of Mr. Jadhav has come to light so far, and that further inquiries against him are under way.
