A fortnight after a 26-year-old girl was raped at Swargate bus station, a 16 year old girl in Panvel was raped by a 42 year old in a Van after he offered her lift. The 16-year-old girl who was going to college was forced to sit in his car by a man he knew, saying he would drop her off at the bus stop. Instead of taking the car to the bus stop, he took her to a deserted place and raped her in the car itself. The incident happened on March 3, however the complainant approached the police on Thursday after which the Panvel Rural Police registered a case and arrested the man.
The accused identified as Amol Harishchandra Padrath (42), a driver by profession was known to the minor girl.
"The accused used to drive a van that transported school kids. At the time of the incident, there were no kids in the bus. While the victim was going to college, he saw her on road and offered her lift to drop to the college following which she got into the van," senior police inspector Gajanan Ghadge from Panvel Taluka police station said.
A student of junior college, the victim left home at 6 am on March 3. The accused told her that he would drop her to Shantivan bus stop but instead he took the van to a deserted place at Chinchwali area. There he allegedly raped her and threatened of dire consequences if he told anyone about it.
The girl, who did not initially inform her parents, later revealed about the incident and then approached the police on Thursday. The accused was arrested and has been remanded to police custody till Tuesday.
