Pune: A 36-year-old auto-rickshaw driver was arrested by Pune police on Thursday for allegedly raping his daughter several times between February and May this year. The crime came to the fore when the rape survivor, who studies in Class 9, on May 6 approached the police with a complaint against her father. Apparently, her father had warned that he would kill her if she told anyone which most likely prevented her from lodging a police complaint earlier.
The auto driver’s wife left him a few years ago, taking along with her their son, while the daughter stayed back with her father. The accused had gone into hiding after learning that his daughter approached the police however the police picked him up from a place in Raigad.
Jyoti Gadkari, assistant police inspector, Sinhgad police station, told The Asian Age, “The auto-rickshaw driver stays with his 15-year-old daughter in a flat in Pune. He has a younger son too. But his wife, along with their son, left him a few years ago. The accused does not know where she stays.”
“The girl, who studies in standard IX, stayed back with her father even after her mother left them. The accused has been raping his daughter from February 2016 to May 5, 2017. He has been threatening her that he will kill her if she shares this with anyone. But after it became unbearable for her, she decided to approach the police. She went to Sinhgad police station and lodged a FIR on May 6, 2017,” said Mr Gadkari.
Somehow, the accused came to know that his daughter had approached the police and fled from the place. The police had no idea where he was staying the last four days. However with the help of their network, they finally arrested him from Raigad district near Mumbai.
The police has booked the driver under relevant sections of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and section 376 of the Indian Penal Code. He will be produced in court on Friday.
