Separated woman accuses beau of rape inside movie hall

Ludhiana: A 33-year-old, separated woman, has accused her beau of allegedly raping her inside a movie hall after giving her a sedative. The accused promised to marry the woman, but later refused to marry her, after which she lodged a police complaint. On receiving the complaint, Division 5 police on Monday booked Dheeraj Batra under Section 376 (rape), his brother Rohit, mother Rama, and two uncles under Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
In his complaint, Rama said she got married in Hoshiarpur 13 years ago. However, for the past 11 years, she has been living in her parent’s house in Ludhiana with her two children, away from her husband. Later, she joined an NGO, and six months ago, Dheeraj (the accused) joined the same NGO. He befriended her and desired to marry her. The duo also made their families meet each other, who accepted their relationship.

The woman further alleged that on February 1, Dheeraj took her to a multiplex in a mall on Ferozepur Road around 10am. There, he gave her water in a disposable glass, after drinking which she became unconscious, and he then raped her. Three hours later, when she regained consciousness, he apologized to her and promised to marry her soon. However, he later refused to marry her.

Division 5 police on Monday, after receiving the complaint, lodged an FIR, but they have yet to arrest the accused.