A 38-year-old man from Ulhasnagar, Thane district, has been accused of raping a 27-year-old woman he befriended on Facebook in 2021. The man allegedly lured her to a lodge, assaulted her, and recorded compromising videos to blackmail her into marriage. He then took her to Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, where he and his mother reportedly confined her, cut her hair and eyebrows, and burned her with cigarettes and a hot tawa. They also seized her identification documents to secure loans and demanded money from her father under threat of releasing the videos online. The victim filed a complaint on Sunday, leading to an FIR against the accused and five family members under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). No arrests have been made yet, and the investigation is ongoing.
This incident highlights a disturbing pattern of sexual assault cases in Thane. In March 2023, a 37-year-old man was sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a woman in the presence of her daughter. Similarly, in February 2021, a man was arrested for repeatedly raping a 21-year-old woman over two years under the pretext of marriage.
These cases underscore the persistent issue of sexual violence in the region, emphasizing the need for increased vigilance and stronger legal measures to protect vulnerable individuals.
