A 21-year-old man has been arrested by Dungri police in Gujarat's Valsad district for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl and extorting cash and gold from her family by threatening to circulate photographs of the incident, police said on Monday, November 2.
Source: IANS via Hi India
The accused has been identified as Dhruvil Patel, a resident of Shankartalav Mandir Faliya in Valsad. Police said he was apprehended on October 29, about ten days after the minor's family lodged a formal complaint on October 19.
According to the complaint, Patel allegedly took the minor away from her guardians on August 31 and again on September 26, sexually assaulted her against her wishes and took photographs, which he then allegedly used to threaten and intimidate her into arranging money and valuables from her home, officials said. All of these are allegations in the police case and are yet to be tested in court.
Police said the accused allegedly obtained ₹2.61 lakh in cash on different occasions and gold ornaments weighing approximately 32.4 tolas, valued at about ₹43.48 lakh — a combined total of roughly ₹46 lakh.
A case has been registered under Sections 308(2), 64(2)(m) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Sections 4 and 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.
Source: Nation Press
A team led by Dungri Police Inspector U. H. Patel traced the accused using technical analysis and human intelligence, police said. Assistant Sub-Inspector Hirenbhai Patel received a tip-off about his location, after which a team was dispatched and Patel was apprehended and brought to Dungri police station.
During police remand, investigators recovered gold ornaments weighing approximately 15.33 tolas, valued at ₹19.54 lakh, along with ₹5,000 in cash and a mobile phone worth ₹5,000. A SIM card and a diary were also seized, taking the total value of recovered property to an estimated ₹19.64 lakh, police said. Further investigation is underway.