Mumbai police arrested a mobile phone mechanic from his shop in Bhayander in the city’s suburb. The accused, Aditya Bhagat, had been evading his arrest for the past one month. Bhagat used to befriend minor girls on social media and then allegedly rape them.
For hiding his tracks, he used to use the mobile phones that had been given to him for repairs to contact the victims, police said. According to the Mira-Bhayander-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police, the accused had sent a friend request to a 17-year-old girl from Nalasopara two months ago on Facebook. After chatting for a few days, Bhagat had asked her to meet him.
They met in a guest house in Bhayander where the accused allegedly tried to rape her. When the girl refused, he threatened to post her obscene photos on the Internet.
Scared of being defamed, the girl attempted suicide the next day. The Achole police station registered a rape case against Bhagat under sections 376, 376 (2) and sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
PSI Hitendra Vichare, from the MBVV crime branch said that they also started investigating along with the police as the case was sensitive. After analysing the mobile phone data and other technical aspects, the police arrested Bhagat on Monday from his mobile repairing shop.
“When we checked all the IMEI numbers of the mobiles through which the victims received calls and messages, we found that the phones were given for repairs at the accused’s shop in Bhayander,” said a Crime Branch officer. Police is now investigating how many more girls were contacted, blackmailed and raped by Bhagat.
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