Last week, on 26th July, Maharashtra Police booked 4 individuals identified as Shadab Tamboli, Yusuf Chaughule, Kunal Shirole, and Ayaz Pathan for harassing, and sexually assaulting a minor girl for around 2 years and threatening her with death. The incident is said to have happened in the Ghargaon village of Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district.
The accused persons have been booked by the police under sections 137(2), 87, 123, 64(2), 351(2), 49, 74, 75, 78, and 3(5) of the Bhartiya Nyay Samhita, 2023 and 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
As per the exclusive complaint copy obtained by OpIndia, the primary accused person identified as Shadab met the girl in the year 2020 after her father died. He and his friend Yusuf used to go to the village to play cricket and meanwhile, they began keeping watch on the girl who was studying in standard 9th then.
In January 2020, Yusuf approached the girl and lured her to be ‘friends’ with Shadab. He told her that Shadab was in ‘love’ with her and that he wanted them to be together. The minor girl got carried away and began talking to Shadab. The accused somehow meanwhile managed to get the phone number of the girl and began talking to her forcefully over the phone.
In February 2020, Shadab forcefully kissed the girl to which the latter resisted saying she didn’t like such behaviour. In the meantime, the family of the girl learned about the accused and warned him to stay away from their daughter. After this, Shadab kept his distance for a few months until the girl left her village to be admitted to a high school college in Sangamner.
“In 2021, he began calling me constantly to meet. One day he came outside my college and forced me to meet in a nearby cafe. He forcefully captured photos with me and said that he was in love with me. He also tried to forcefully kiss me and on refusing he threatened saying that he would make my photos viral on social media,” the girl said in the complaint.
In the year 2023, the girl shifted her college to Otur, Junnar for her further studies. However, the accused followed her there and began harassing her. He blackmailed the victim and forced her to marry him. Along with Shadab, Yusuf also blackmailed the girl and forced her to marry Shadab. “I was fed up and tensed. I asked the duo to stop blackmailing and told them that I would commit suicide if harassed more. I also told them that they would be blamed for my death. After this Shadab stopped harassing me and began talking nicely to me. He told me he would delete all my photos and stop following me. At that time Kunal Shirole approached me and began proposing to me for marriage on behalf of Shadab. He said Shadab was in love with me and insisted I marry him. I thought that was it but I was wrong,” the girl added.
On 7th July this year, the accused Shadab called the girl and asked her to meet to end the matter once and for all. However, he abducted her and took her to Pune. In this, another accused Yusuf also helped Shadab. The girl was fed with some spiked water after which she began feeling unconscious.
“They transferred me to another vehicle and took away my bag and phone. I was half unconscious so I could not recognize what was happening to me. Shadab and Yusuf took me to some men named Adil and Ayaz Pathan. One woman was also helping them. Ayaz then asked Shadab to take me to Mumbai’s Sanpada area. We reached some hotel where Shadab threatened me and sexually assaulted me,” the girl said.
She added that the accused blackmailed her saying that he had her photos which he would release on social media platforms. “I kept on refusing. However, Shadab sexually assaulted me. Later he took me to Ayaz who threatened me to death and asked me to cooperate,” she added.
The girl was again sexually assaulted on 8th July. The next day, the accused persons, Shadab, Yusuf and Ayaz forcefully married the girl to Shadab. They forced the girl to sign some Urdu documents and threatened her with dire consequences. Later Shadab explained to that girl that they were now married and that she was his legal wife.
“I was shocked. I told him that I did not believe in this marriage and the documents. However, he threatened and continued to sexually assault me,” the girl said.
The incident came to the fore on 10th July when the accused was trapped by the police and brought to the police station. The girl narrated her ordeal and confirmed that she was abducted, threatened and sexually assaulted by the accused.
Based on the complaint filed by the girl, the accused persons Shadab Tamboli, Yusuf Chaughule, Kunal Shirole, and Ayaz Pathan have been booked by the police under Bhartiya Nyay Samhita, 2023 and 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
Further investigations into the case are underway.
