Palghar, Maharashtra: A 32-year-old woman has filed a complaint against a colleague, accusing him of repeated rape under the false promise of marriage, along with harassment and criminal intimidation spanning from 2021 to the present. The Waliv Police have registered a case.
The complainant, a resident of Vasai East, alleged that the accused, Akash Uttamchand Mehta (34), a resident of Bhayandar East, initially proposed marriage. Upon her acceptance, he allegedly lured her with false promises and repeatedly engaged in physical relations against her will.
According to the FIR, when the accused started avoiding marriage, the complainant reduced contact with him. In retaliation, Mehta allegedly called the victim to his cabin multiple times, where he committed acts of molestation, including touching her inappropriately, making lewd comments about her undergarments and body, forcibly embracing her, staring at her with ill intent, and forcing her to sit in front of him for two hours while he pressed his private parts.
When the complainant reported these incidents to her company's General Manager, the accused allegedly became enraged. He then threatened to kill her, stating, "Go wherever you want, go to the police, go to women's organizations. I am not afraid of anyone. The company owners are my relatives, so I will get you fired from your job and ruin your life." He also allegedly verbally abused her.
The incident has been registered at Waliv Police Station, invoking sections 64, 64(2)(M), 74, 75(1), 75(2), 351(2), and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023.
The case is being investigated by Assistant Police Inspector Hanif Shaikh, under the supervision of Senior Police Inspector Dilip Ghuge and Assistant Police Inspector Rekha Patil. No arrests have been made as of the time of reporting.
