Rape accused traced after 17 years, allowed to go in Gujarat

VADODARA: Strange as it might seem, a rape accused and the survivor were found living happily together for 17 years and even had a son from their relationship.
The accused, Ranjitsinh Solanki, was however allowed to go by the police after the woman gave a statement that she was neither kidnapped nor raped by him.
Solanki was picked up by the local crime branch of Panchmahal police from Surat’s Pandesara area recently after cops got specific information about his whereabouts. They brought Solanki and the woman to Kalol police station where an offence of rape, kidnapping and adultery, was registered against Solanki following a complaint lodged by the woman’s husband in 2006.
As part of the investigation, the Kalol police questioned the couple. Their statements threw up interesting facts including that they had a son together and the man had also brought up two children of the woman from her husband.
Kalol police sub-inspector JD Taral said that the offence was registered after the woman’s husband approached the court. “Solanki’s parents were also named as accused in the case and were arrested. They were subsequently acquitted,” he said.
According to Taral, the woman had eloped with Solanki and her two children - a son and a daughter. The couple then had birth to a son. “Solanki took the responsibility of her children from her husband too and got her daughter married,” said Taral.
Taral added that the woman told the police as well as the court about the details of their relationship. “This made it evident that there was no case of rape and abduction,” Taral said.
He along with the woman left for Surat again. Police said they will now do the necessary paperwork to drop the IPC sections of kidnap and rape, but Solanki will have to face trial for adultery.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)