Khandwa police book man for raping 19-year-old college student

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NDORE: Khandwa police have registered a case against a man for allegedly raping a 19-year-old college student. The accused, police said, was known to the complainant’s family. Khandwa SP Manoj Rai said that based on the girl’s complaint—she is a second-year student at a government college—the Moghat Road police registered an FIR against the accused on Friday night. The accused, identified as Rajesh, son of Manohari Maskole, was arrested by police on Saturday morning. He is expected to be produced before the court later in the evening. The survivor, a native of Betul district, resides in a hostel while pursuing her studies in Khandwa. According to the police, Rajesh belongs to the same village as the victim, and the two families were acquainted before the incident. He had come to Khandwa for some work and retrieved the victim’s contact number from a social media group. Posing as a well-wisher, he contacted her and asked to meet. Under the pretext of taking her out, he led her towards Nagchun Park and then to a deserted stretch beyond it, where he allegedly raped her.

The incident took place around 5:30 PM on June 28. When the victim resisted, Rajesh allegedly threatened to kill her, leaving her terrified and unable to report the incident immediately. After the assault, the girl returned to her village and informed her parents. She later returned to Khandwa and lodged a formal complaint with the police. Acting on her statement, police registered a case of rape against Rajesh. With the survivor’s help, the police tracked him down in Khandwa and arrested him. Further investigation is underway.(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)