Vadodara: Lok Rakshak Dal cop arrested for raping college girl

VADODARA: A Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD) constable was arrested for rape after he allegedly forced a 21-year-old college girl to perform oral sex on him on Gotri-Ankodia road on Saturday.
Along with constable Surajsinh Chauhan, the police also arrested the driver of police control room (PCR) van, Rasik Chauhan, who allegedly took bribe from the girl’s boyfriend.
At around 8.30pm, Chauhan, who is posted in Laxmipura police station, and Rasik passed an isolated spot near a canal on Gotri-Ankodia road while they were on patrolling duty.
Seeing the girl and her boyfriend there, Chauhan got off the van and started questioning them. He threatened to make their relationship public by informing their parents. Scared by the threats, they started pleading to let them off.
“Chauhan then demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000. The girl’s boyfriend told him that he didn’t have so much cash and offered to transfer money from his Paytm account. But Chauhan then asked van driver Rasik to accompany the boy to a nearby petrol pump. The boy paid the petrol pump using Paytm and Rasik collected the cash from the pump,” said B A Chaudhary, assistant commissioner of police (ACP).
When Rasik and the boy left, Suraj started touching the girl inappropriately. He then took the girl to an under-construction house and forced her to perform oral sex on him. “This lasted for a few minutes. When Rasik and the boy returned, Suraj let off the girl and left the spot in the PCR van,” said Chaudhary.
Chauhan was inducted as LRD jawan three years ago
The traumatized girl returned home and immediately narrated her ordeal to her family. They rushed to Laxmipura police station along with other people and demanded registering a complaint against the accused duo. The couple had noted the vehicle registration number of the PCR van.
“We lodged a complaint of rape and Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused. Both Suraj and Rasik were arrested at 4am on Sunday,” B A Chaudhary, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) told TOI. The boy works with a private firm.
Chauhan has been posted in Laxmipura police station since 2017 when he was appointed in LRD.
The accused were remanded to police custody till Monday. They have been booked under IPC sections 376 (2) A (1) (police personnel committing rape) and Prevention of Corruption Act 7 (A).
City police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut admitted that that such crimes sully the image of the police department. “We will take strict action against the accused,” he added.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)