Mumbai: A 21-year-old man has been arrested by the Vakola police who allegedly raped a minor girl he befriended on Instagram. According to the police, the girl was taken to Gujarat by the accused on the pretext of showing her his village where she was allegedly raped thrice.
The 13-year-old victim went missing from her residence between August 13 and 16. Despite her parents' extensive search efforts, she returned home on her own. Although she did not answer her parents' questions, they observed that she remained withdrawn and isolated.
After persistent questioning, the girl told her parents that she had met the accused on Instagram, later he took her to Andheri where she was raped for the first time. Later, on the pretext of showing her his village, he allegedly took her to Gujarat where she was raped twice - which was on August 14 and 15. She also provided her parents with pictures of him from his Instagram profile.
The parents promptly reported the incident to Vakola police, who registered a case against the accused for the charges of rape and kidnapping -- given the victim was a minor. The police launched a search based on the information provided by the girl and traced the accused to a hotel in Goregaon, where he was subsequently arrested.
Following the FIR, the girl was taken to Cooper Hospital for a medical examination. The results of the examination will be included in the chargesheet to be filed in court. The police also stated that they would begin interrogating the accused.
