Praful Lodha, a 62-year-old man from Jalgaon, has been arrested in Mumbai for allegedly sexually abusing two 16-year-old girls and raping a woman on the pretext of giving them jobs.
According to the police, Lodha allegedly sexually abused a 16-year-old girl and her friend on the pretext of getting them a job. He held the girls captive in his house in Chakala, where he tortured and took objectionable pictures of them. He also allegedly raped a woman in Andheri using the same ruse.
Following his arrest, the police searched his properties in Jalgaon, Jamner, and Pahur and seized a laptop, pen drive, and some electronic items.
Now, the Pune Police have also registered a case of rape against him. A 23-year-old woman alleged that Lodha called her to a hotel in May, assured her he would get a job for her husband, and sought sexual favours in return. When the woman refused, he allegedly threatened her and raped her.
Lodha is said to have a close association with some politicians.
'Mahajan's photo with Lodha'
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut pointed to a photograph of Maharashtra BJP Minister Girish Mahajan with Lodha. However, Mahajan claimed Lodha had photos with leaders across party lines, including NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, party MLA Jayant Patil, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule.
Mahajan maintained that being seen in a photograph with someone does not imply involvement in any wrongdoing and accused Raut of making irresponsible statements without evidence.
'Need thorough investigation'
Mahajan's arch rival and NCP (SP) leader Eknath Khadse demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations related to Lodha. Mahajan, however, dismissed Khadse's remarks as delusional, stating that he would not stoop to such a low level.
"A few years ago, I had seen a video in which Praful Lodha was seen using extremely derogatory language against Eknath Khadse. What should one call that? In every issue, Khadse drags my name and tries to malign me. There seems to be something wrong with his mental state, but I will not stoop to his level," Mahajan said.
He said Lodha had been arrested by the police and that the truth would come out through the ongoing investigation.
Lodha contested Lok Sabha elections on VBA ticket?
The Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (VBA) had announced Lodha's candidature for the Jalgaon Lok Sabha seat. However, the Prakash Ambedkar-led party later replaced him with Yuvraj Jadhav as its candidate.
