Top official of Vadodara-based university arrested in rape case

Vadodara: A top official of city-based Parul University has been arrested after a nursing student accused him of raping her, police said on Thursday.

The woman rector of a girls' hostel has also been arrested for allegedly abetting the crime.

Jayesh Patel, the founder and former president of Parul University who was accused of raping the student a few days back and evading arrest since then, was arrested by the rural police last night when he was coming to the city from Anand in his car, they said.

"We had been searching for him since last many days. Based on a tip-off, 66-year-old Patel was nabbed by rural police at Asodar cross roads near Anand at around 11 pm on Tuesday. He has been brought here for further questioning," Deputy Superintendent of Police, Vadodara rural police, SL Bhatt said.

"After his medical check-up, we will produce him before a court to seek his remand," Bhatt said.

Patel is the founder of Parul University, a private varsity located at Limdi village under Waghodia taluka in the district.

After the rape complaint was filed on June 18, Mr Patel went underground. He was subsequently expelled from the post of president of the university by its authorities.

Later, he was also expelled from BJP, which he had joined in 2014, party spokesman Bharat Pandya said.

In the FIR, the 21-year-old girl, who is studying in a local nursing institute affiliated to the varsity, also accused the girls' hostel woman rector Bhavnaben Patel of abetting the crime.

The complainant said in the FIR that she was allegedly raped by Jayesh Patel at his house located near the girls' hostel, after Bhavnaben took her there during the intervening night of June 16 and June 17.

The victim also alleged that Patel threatened to rusticate her from the institute and spoil her career by failing her in exams if she revealed it to anyone, police said.

"Since Bhavnaben was also involved in the crime, we arrested her on June 19 and took her remand," Bhatt said.

A case was lodged at Waghodia police station against them under sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 114 (abetting the crime), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC, police said.