23-year-old 'Fashion designer' alleges rape by Delhi man; case filed

Latur, May 11: A 23-year-old woman, who claims to be a fashion designer based in Pune in Maharashtra, has lodged a complaint of rape against a 28-year-old man from Delhi, an official said on Tuesday.

The alleged incident had occurred on February 26 night at a hotel in Pune after the accused forced the victim to eat sweets laced with drugs, the official said quoting the FIR.

Pune Police has also booked three more persons, including two women, for allegedly blackmailing the victim and circulating her objectionable photos and videos.

The complainant alleged the accused extorted gold jewellery from her, police said.

As per the FIR, the woman, who hails from Latur, is currently staying in Pune where she is pursuing a computer software course and also working as a fashion designer. All the four accused are residents of Delhi.

The victim came into contact with a man on Instagram in February this year, who introduced her to a woman, the FIR said.

The woman, who is also an accused in the case, in turn, introduced the victim to the main accused and told her that he works as a lawyer in the Delhi High Court.

The victim later went to Delhi on the invitation of the main accused and the woman for sightseeing, the FIR stated.

However, she left Delhi abruptly on February 17 after the main accused proposed a marriage.

"Later, he and his friend hired a car to travel to Pune from Delhi to meet the victim. On their request, she even arranged for their stay in Kharadi area of the city," the official said.

On the night of February 26, the main accused forced the complainant to eat some sweets after having dinner at a hotel following which she fell unconscious and raped her, the FIR stated.

He later threatened her and also assured a marriage. He forced the victim to come to Goa where he raped her again, it said.

The accused also took money from her under various pretexts.

The complainant later came to know that the main accused was married with a son.

As per the FIR, the accused sent her objectionable photos and videos to the victim''s family members and friends when she warned them of filing a police complaint.

Police Inspector Sunil Thopte told PTI over the phone from Pune that they will forward the FIR to senior officers and investigate accordingly.

He said police are yet to arrest anybody named in the FIR given the COVID-19 situation in Delhi.

An FIR has been registered at Chandan Nagae police station in Pune under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for rape and under the Information Technology Act, 2000.