Sub-inspector held for raping girl on promise of marriage

A 20-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and raped on the pretext of marriage by a Thane police sub-inspector, who was arrested today from Pune, police said.
Sub-Inspector Santosh Sonawane (30) was arrested today after Thane police registered a complaint against him yesterday under relevant sections of IPC and forwarded it to Wanwadi Police station in Pune, senior Police Inspector of Wanwadi Police station, Sachin Sawant said.
The accused will be produced in court and his custody will be sought, he said.
Sonawane has been charged under sections 376 (rape), 420 (cheating), 363 (kidnapping), 341 (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, police said.

The Thane police yesterday registered an offence against the SI and later the case was transferred to Wanawadi police station in Pune since the complainant hails from there, Thane police PRO Gajanan Kabdule said.
The accused allegedly raped the girl on April 13 and 17 at her house in Pune and later took a room at Kalwa township in Thane where he committed the offence between April 23 and 26, he said, based on the complaint filed by the victim.

Kabdule said Sonawane, who is already married, developed friendship with the girl and promised to help her in pursuing B.Pharma course.

The accused met her several times and then allegedly raped the girl at her house in Pune and also at other places, police said.
He asked her to come to Kalwa township in Thane, and requested one of his friends, an autorickshaw driver, from Pune to bear the expenses of her journey which the latter did, Kabdule said.
The policeman also threatened to commit suicide if she failed to turn up to meet him, the complaint by the girl said.
When the girl came to Kalyan township in Thane, the accused tied a 'mangalsutra' around her neck to pose that he had married here, the complained said.

He also did not want the girl to reveal her whereabouts to her parents, police added.