Surat police nab one for raping Hindu woman after luring her via social media

Surat: Katargam police have registered a rape and POCSO case against a 22-year-old man for allegedly sexually assaulting an 18-year-old Class 12 student from Surat after befriending her through social media and luring her with promises of showing her movies.

The accused, identified as Sahil Sheikh Ahmed Sharif Sheikh, a resident of Rander, was arrested within a few hours of the complaint, police said.

It is learnt that the girl, who hails from a Marathi family and lives in the Katargam area, came in contact with Sheikh through social media around a year ago. Police allege that he gained her trust by speaking to her regularly and subsequently took her to different places on the pretext of showing her movies.

Sheikh was reportedly working at the ticket counter of a theatre in Gopipura at the time. Police allege that he used this position to persuade the girl to meet him during school hours. On one occasion, he allegedly took her to a friend’s house in Nanpura, where he sexually assaulted her against her will.

It is further alleged that Sheikh continued to meet the girl at different locations and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions, before later cutting off contact with her and abandoning her.

The girl subsequently informed her family about the alleged abuse, following which they approached Katargam police station. Based on her complaint, police registered a case against Sheikh under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police said Sheikh was arrested within a few hours and further legal proceedings have been initiated. DeshGujarat