A police sub inspector (PSI) attached with Crime Branch (Unit I), who has been absconding after he was accused of rape by a 31-year-old woman constable, was suspended on Monday.
PSI Amit Shelar was booked by the CBD Belapur police on Saturday. Tushar Doshi, deputy commissioner of police, Crime Branch, said, “We are making all attempts to arrest him, but he is not to be found in his house. He has not reported to work since Saturday.”
The complainant, who is attached with the Koparkhairane police station and deployed at the Motor Transport Department in Kalamboli, claimed that Mr. Shelar was trying to defame her by revealing her identity on social media. She said, “After my case was registered, I found its ‘B summary report’ being circulated on WhatsApp. The report has all my details and now everyone knows about me and my case. This has been done either by the accused or he made someone do it. I have been receiving calls from people in the department asking me to take back the complaint. I am the victim, but I am being shamed and my character is being questioned just because he is at a higher position than I.”
The constable also alleged that people close to Mr. Shelar were trying to defame her husband as well. She said, “They are giving out fake stories that I am his third wife, but it is not true. We have been married for the last 10 years and have a six-year-old son.”
The complainant said Mr. Shelar was her colleague at Vashi police station in 2010. After he was promoted as a sub inspector in 2015, she sought his help to clear the Maharashtra Public Service Commission exam. In March 2017, Mr. Shelar allegedly picked her up in his car after work and on the pretext of dropping her home at Vashi, drove her to CBD Belapur near Sarovar Vihar.
According to the complainant, Mr. Shelar offered her a glass of spiked juice and drove to an isolated place. He then allegedly raped her and recorded a video of the act. He then allegedly threatened to make the video viral and raped her multiple times at a lodge in Rasayani and a flat in Kharghar.
The complainant alleged that Mr. Shelar assaulted her behind the police headquarters in Kalamboli on November 13 for refusing to respond to his calls and engage in a physical relationship.
The woman said, “I was hurt physically and my nose started bleeding. When I reached home, my husband enquired about my injuries and I broke down. I told him about the ordeal I have been undergoing for over a year. He then supported my decision to file a case.”
