Mumbai: A man allegedly posing as a transgender person and dressed in women’s clothes entered a woman’s home in Powai on the pretext of performing a ritual to bless her with a child, sexually assaulted her and fled after taking Rs 2,000. The incident occurred in a middle class residence, the Powai police said.
The accused, identified as Anil Shinde, 30, was arrested from Kalwa later the same night after police traced the autorickshaw he had used. A court remanded him in police custody till August 25. Police said a case involving physical assault had previously been registered against him.
According to police, the woman lives in Powai with her husband and an elderly relative. The couple have been married for four to five years and do not have children. On Wednesday afternoon, Shinde allegedly arrived at their flat dressed as a woman and claimed to be transgender. The elderly relative opened the door while the woman’s husband was at work. During the interaction, the elderly woman told Shinde about the couple’s childlessness. He allegedly offered to perform a ritual to bless the woman with a child and entered the flat.
Police said Shinde asked the woman to lie on the bed and, under the guise of performing the ritual, allegedly touched her inappropriately before sexually assaulting her. He then allegedly told her she would soon have a child and demanded money. She gave him Rs 2,000 before he left.
About an hour later, the woman realised what had happened and informed her husband. The couple approached Powai police, who registered a rape case.
Investigators examined CCTV footage and traced the autorickshaw through its registration number. The driver helped police identify where Shinde had been dropped. Technical evidence led police to Kalwa, where he was arrested later that night. Police are probing whether he used a similar modus operandi in other cases.
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