Man accused of raping girl in Mumbai held in Assam

Hailakandi (Assam), Feb 8 (PTI) A person, who has been accused of raping a girl in Mumbai and absconding since last year, was found in a village in Assam’s Hailakandi district and taken into custody, police said here on Tuesday.

The man was handed over to crime branch officials of the Mumbai Police on Monday after he was traced in Dhanipur village, Hailakandi Superintendent of Police Gaurav Upadhyay said.

Family members of the girl had filed a complaint against the person in Colaba police station in Maharashtra, alleging that he had raped her.

They also claimed that he promised to marry her but later went missing, the SP said.

The accused had gone to Mumbai two years ago and was working in a private company there but he returned to his village last year during the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the officer said.

Upadhyay said a team of policemen conducted a raid in the village, about 20 km from here, and took him into custody.

The accused, however, denied the allegation of rape, saying that the girl’s family members had demanded money from him but when he refused it, a rape case was lodged against him.