Man booked for raping woman on marriage pretext

Mumbai, Aug 5 (PTI) Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against a 33-year-old man for allegedly raping a 32-year-old woman whom he had befriended at a railway station by hiding the fact that he was already married, an official said on Monday.

Police suspect the accused, who has not been arrested so far, is a Homeguard constable.

The woman, originally from Uttarakhand, lodged a complaint against the accused on Sunday (August 4) after she saw his photographs with his two sons on his Instagram account, the police official said.

The complainant woman used to work as a caretaker and since she didn't have a fixed job or place to stay in Mumbai, she used to sit in a waiting room at Mumbai Central railway station.

Approximately six months ago, the accused, clad in fatigues worn by uniformed personnel, approached the woman and used her mobile phone to dial his contact number. The woman and the man eventually grew closer and he proposed to marry her, without disclosing that he was already married, as per the FIR.

The complainant claimed the man raped her in Vakola and later at various locations in Bandra and Nalasopara over the last six months on various occasions. He also promised to arrange a room for her stay but didn't keep his promise, the official said.

The woman realised she was cheated after she came across an Instagram account where the accused posted his pictures with his two sons and approached police in Vakola, Mumbai.

Police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) for rape and conducting investigations. The accused is on the run, the official added. PTI ZA NSK