Tailor held as his girlfriend accuses him of rape after Hindutva activists disrupt interfaith marriage

Thane, Mar 9 (PTI) A 20-year-old tailor has been arrested from Thane district on charges of raping a minor girl and trying to force her to marry him after the scheduled interfaith wedding was disrupted by Hindutva activists, an official said on Monday.

The accused, a resident of Shantinagar in Bhiwandi, was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for rape and criminal intimidation, as the alleged crime occurred when the IPC was in force.

According to Dombivli Police, the accused tailor and the victim, a first-year BA student from a college in Dombivli, became friends through social media when they were minors. The friendship eventually turned into a relationship.

On March 6, she travelled to Bhiwandi to marry the accused according to Muslim customs. The accused had allegedly made all arrangements, including the presence of a Qazi and witnesses, police said.

However, activists from a Hindutva organisation reached the venue and staged a massive protest against the interfaith union, leading to a commotion.

The matter was initially taken to the Shantinagar police station in Bhiwandi. However, as the victim resides in Dombivli, the case was transferred to the Vishnunagar police station.

"Based on a complaint filed by the victim, a case has been registered against Armaan Sheikh for blackmailing and rape. The complainant alleged that she was pressured and blackmailed into the marriage," said Assistant Commissioner of Police Suhas Hemade.

The victim alleged in her complaint that the accused established physical relations with her earlier and subsequently tried to force her to marry him once she turned 18.

Further investigations are underway. PTI COR NSK