Maha woman who accused RPF jawans of rape caught extorting money

Thane: A rape case involving four RPF jawans from the Diva outpost of Central Railway took a new turn when the 25-year-old victim was apprehended extorting money from one of the accused for allegedly withdrawing her complaint, Maharashtra police said on Saturday.

The victim, a married woman, was caught red-handed while accepting the sum of Rs. 90,000 from RPF constable Pradeep Singh, 57, in a hotel in Thane on Friday evening.

Police had laid a trap in Dwaraka hotel of Dombivili after recording a conversation between her and the jawans, Police PRO Sukhada Narkar said.

The woman was placed under arrest on Friday night. She had demanded a sum of Rs. 111,000 from the constable.

Two other persons – Mohan Bitla, who played the role of a middleman between the victim and the jawans, and a journalist of a leading tabloid – have also come under the scanner in the case.

While Bitla has been arrested along with the woman, the scribe has been booked under section 384 r/w 34 of the IPC, police said.

The woman is a resident of Diva and works in a boutique at Dombivili.

Earlier this week, the four jawans were booked under sections 376 (d), 328 rw 34 of IPC after the woman accused them of sexually abusing her in a RPF cabin at Diva after allegedly spiking her drink. Following allegations of rape, all the four RPF jawans were suspended.

The Thane Railway Police, which had then registered the offence against the four, later transferred the case to Mumbra police, which is now probing the entire episode.

Police are now probing whether the victim forced ransom demands on the jawans earlier as well.