A 22-year-old man named Imtiyaz Chaudhary was arrested by the Kashimira police at Mira Road in Maharashtra for assaulting and raping his estranged girlfriend.
The accused had reportedly recorded the act and was using it to blackmail her. The incident reportedly took place on January 29.
According to reports, Imtiyaz committed the crime angry over the victim breaking up with him. She had reportedly severed ties with him after he refused to marry her because of her faith.
The police said that the victim had been in a relationship with Imtiyaz since 2021, but she stopped responding to the accused’s calls and messages after he refused to marry her. This apparently enraged Imtiyaz, who called up the victim and asked her to meet him at a hotel named Kashimira lodge on Mira Road. The accused threatened to circulate private photographs and videos of the woman if she failed to turn up. Scared at his threats, she agreed to meet him on January 29.
Imitiyaz Chaudhary allegedly sexually assaulted her at the hotel and began spitting on the floor of the room forcing her to lick it in order to torment and punish her for breaking their relationship.
Later, the accused released the victim on the condition that she will not tell anybody about her ordeal and not approach the police. He threatened her with death if she didn’t comply with his demands. The woman, however, went to Kashimira police station with a friend and a social activist and reported the assault.
Based on the victim’s statement, the Kashimira police registered an FIR against Imtiyaz Chaudhary on February 1, 2023, under sections 376 (rape), 377 (sodomy), 354-B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
“After learning that an FIR had been registered against him, Imtiyaz switched off his mobile and has been on the run. He sometimes switches on his cell phone and has been continuously changing his location. He is active on social media. Our team has been chasing him, and soon we will arrest him,” a police officer from Kashimira police station had said before the accused was arrested.
“We have traced the accused and are in the process of arresting him. The statements of the hotel staff have also been recorded,” another police officer from Kashimira police station was quoted as saying.
(With inputs from OpIndia)
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