It was on 30th September that the horrific incident happened and on Monday night, an FIR had been lodged against the three who were taken into custody later by the next afternoon. On identification, it was found that the main accused was Kaustubh Chavan, aged 21, while his friend Mandar (30) accompanied him and Deepali Ahire of 25 was the cousin.
Girl can also not be called purely innocent here, as she must have been sensible enough not to trust a stranger to such an extent so as to meet him without taking anyone along with her. Considering the many and varied crime cases taking place on a regular basis, she should not have put her life to risk despite knowing that the person is only a Facebook friend whom she never saw or met earlier.
Speaking to mid-day, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone V) VB Chandanshive said, “Chavan and the survivor became friends over a social networking site, and were in constant touch with each other over the past two or three months. The survivor trusted him blindly and went with him for a birthday bash.”
Chavan picked up the survivor from Thane West, and the two of them went to Thane station and met his cousin and friend at the skywalk. Chandanshive further added, “Ahire and Mandar were waiting on the skywalk and after Chavan arrived with the girl, they went to a chawl in Kopri.”
During the course of investigations, the cops learnt that the four had been consuming alcohol, after which Chavan and Mandar raped the minor, while his cousin watched.
“The minor was picked up at 12.30 pm and was dropped back to her residence after 6 pm. Later, when she complained of stomach ache, a doctor revealed that she had been raped.
Since then, the family had been seeking advice from friends, but they didn’t report it to the police station fearing social stigma. However, on Monday they registered a complaint and the trio were arrested from their respective residences in Thane,” said Chandanshive.
The cops have booked the three accused under Sections 376 (D) (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 363 (A) (kidnapping) and 34 (acts done by several persons with the furtherance of a common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
