A 24-year-old man, who was on the run after allegedly assaulting and raping a 21-year-old woman he met on social media, was granted an ad interim bail till February 6. The police claimed that they recently saw him in court, days after hunting for him. The accused, Heetik Shah, has not only applied for anticipatory bail, but also sought ad interim bail to evade arrest till his first plea is heard.
"The date of hearing the anticipatory bail is February 6. Till then, ad interim bail is in place. Hence, we cannot make the arrest. If his anticipatory bail is rejected by the court, he will be arrested on the spot,” said a top cop.
The disturbing case
On January 20, The Free Press Journal was the first to report about the case. As per the victim, the incident took place in the early hours of January 13. The complainant, who lives in Malad, met Shah from Walkeshwar on Instagram. A month after chatting on the platform, both of them decided to meet in-person. The victim further said that they first visited eateries and pubs. She was then taken in an inebriated state to the flat of Shah's friend, located in a high-rise tower at the Sir Pochkhanwala Road in Worli.
Victim's Ordeal Shared on Instagram Sparks Outrage
Sharing her ordeal on Instagram, the woman on Thursday wrote, "After some tequila shots, I became intoxicated, feeling anxious and alone at the party. He insisted I drink more. I had a blackout episode not recalling what happened next. I woke up to him raping me. Despite my efforts to stop him, he continued and even slapped me thrice with intense rage, leaving me scared and intimidated."
The shocked victim opened up to her parents two days after the crime. The Worli police shortly initiated the investigation. However, they were unable to nab Shah, who went absconding from January 16-24. According to the woman, the accused even sent her an apologetic text message after she left the Worli residence. “I am genuinely sorry for whatever happened tonight. Didn't mean to do what happened, the situation got heated up and escalated. I am really sorry. I hope we can get over this and leave this behind us. I am again very apologetic and sorry,” read Shah's message as per the victim.
The accused has been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt).
