Mumbai: Man held for raping runaway Punjab teen

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According to the police, the 18-year-old girl, a native of Punjab, had left her hometown after her parents decided to split on October 17.

Mumbai: A 45-year-old man was arrested for raping a teen on the pretext of helping her find accommodation and feeding her a meal. The teen, who had run away from her hometown in Punjab, came to Mumbai on November 9 and met the accused, who took her to a hotel room in Kamathipura and raped her.

According to the police, the 18-year-old girl, a native of Punjab, had left her hometown after her parents decided to split on October 17. She stole Rs 10,000 from her house and visited different cities like Amritsar, Surat and Rajasthan before coming to Mumbai on November 9.

She alighted at the Bandra Terminus and came to Mumbai Central, where she met the accused, Mohammad Akhtar Riyazuddin Qureshi, who asked her what was wrong as he saw her weeping. The teen shared her ordeal only to find solace in Qureshi.

Police said that Qureshi offered her food and a place to stay. He took her to a woman, who gave them a room in Kamathipura in South Mumbai, where he gave her food.

After having lunch, Qureshi tried to force himself on her, to which the teen resisted. Refusing to budge, Qureshi pushed her on the bed and raped her. Moreover, Qureshi threatened her to defame her if she resisted or screamed.

Soon after raping the teen, Qureshi left the room. The teen, who was in excruciating pain, managed to escape and started walking on the street.

She saw a policeman nearby and shared her ordeal with him. The policeman took her to Nagpada police station, where she registered a case of rape.

Nagpada police scrutinised the CCTV camera footage of the area and arrested Qureshi. He was later produced in a local magistrate court where he was remanded in police custody.