The Thane court has remanded serial rapist Rehan Abdul Rashid Qureshi (34) in judicial custody. The accused was earlier in police custody after he was arrested for raping a minor in Koparkhairane and booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Mr. Qureshi will now be arrested in connection with a case of molestation of a minor girl registered with the Nerul police.
Ajay Kadam, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, said, “As per the Code of Criminal Procedure, an accused can be in police custody in one case for 14 days. Mr. Qureshi was arrested on September 26 and was held in custody till Tuesday for his involvement in the Koparkhairane case. On Thursday, we will seek his custody in the POCSO case filed in Nerul.”
During the course of the accused’s interrogation, the statement of his family members was also recorded. They have maintained that they were only aware of his first crime registered with the Taloja police.
Shocking, says family
Mr. Kadam said, “They said it came as a shock for them too. They could not believe that he could do something as heinous as this.”
A Crime Branch officer said the accused’s mother told the police Mr. Qureshi had once told her that every time he had a fight with her, he left the house. However, he did not tell her what he used to do after that.
Of the 17 cases registered against Mr. Qureshi, eight have been registered with the Navi Mumbai police. The officer said, “We are going back to each case and verifying the details mentioned by the complainant.”