Man held in Mumbai for raping woman on pretext of marriage

MUMBAI: Mumbai Police's crime branch apprehended a 24-year-old man for raping a woman on the pretext of marrying her, an official said on Tuesday.
The accused initially met the woman at a wedding in Uttar Pradesh and subsequently connected with her through Instagram, developing a friendship, the official said.
After closely monitoring the suspect's activities for three days, the police successfully arrested him in the Manish Market area of south Mumbai. The accused hails from Mumbra, a locality in the neighboring Thane district.
"He contacted the woman last month when she was visiting the residence of her brother in Nalasopara in the Palghar district. They met at Dadar in Mumbai and visited various places in the city. He then took her to a lodge and had sex with her promising marriage. He paid money to the woman for taxi fare and asked her to leave," the official said quoting the FIR.
Later, the victim confided in her family members, following which a case was lodged at Nalasopara police station.
The case was transferred to Bhoiwada police station in Mumbai. The crime branch launched a parallel investigation and nabbed the accused on Monday.
Police registered a case under section 376 (Punishment for rape) of the Indian Penal Code.
The accused was produced before a court which remanded him in police custody till June 16.
(With inputs from PTI)