Man held for spiking teen’s drink, raping her

The Mahim police has arrested a businessman for allegedly raping a 15-year-old schoolgirl after spiking her cold drink. Though the incident took place around a month ago, it came to light after the victim broke her silence to her mother. The accused had threatened to kill the victim if she told anyone about the incident. The accused has been identified as Bashir Ahmed Kadir Qureshi (28), a resident of Chembur. According to the police, the victim and her parents had gone to Ajmer Dargah in November last year. During their trip, they met Qureshi in Ajmer. Qureshi befriended the family and even accompanied them on their train journey to Mumbai. The victim’s family had helped Qureshi financially in Ajmer, and hence he got close to the family members. “On January 15, when the victim, a Class 9 student, was returning home from tuitions, Qureshi offered to drop her home in his car. Since the victim knew the accused, she sat in the car. Qureshi offered her a soft drink laced with sedatives, consuming which the girl fell unconscious. He then drove to his residence and raped her,” said an officer on condition of anonymity. The officer added that the victim’s changed behaviour was noticed by her mother, who questioned her. The girl then broke down and narrated the horror she had been through. Inspector in-charge of Mahim police station, Bhausaheb Gite said that medical report of the victim and accused confirmed rape. “We arrested Qureshi under Sections 366, 376 of the IPC and Sections 4 and 5 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act,” said Mr Gite.