New Panvel hardware store owner arrested for raping minor daughter

A 55-year-old man has been arrested by the Khandeshwar police in New Panvel, Navi Mumbai, for allegedly raping his minor daughter over a ten-year period. The sexual abuse reportedly began in 2016 when the victim was just seven years old and persisted until she filed a formal police complaint.

According to Assistant Police Inspector (API) Pandurang Ghagare of Khandeshwar, the girl finally gathered the courage to report her father to the police because she could no longer bear the constant sexual abuse and threats she was subjected to at their residence.

The accused is a local businessman who owns and operates a hardware store in the New Panvel area. Police investigations revealed that the suspect's wife had separated from him five years ago following frequent domestic quarrels. Because of the separation, the victim, along with her elder brother and sister, continued to reside with their father. API Ghagare explained that the girl kept the sexual assaults a secret and did not reveal what was happening to her until she reached adolescence after turning 16 years old.

Following her complaint, the police booked the accused under various relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges filed against him include punishment for rape, aggravated rape, committing rape repeatedly on the same woman, committing rape on a girl under 16 years of age, voluntarily causing hurt, and criminal intimidation. Additionally, he was charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

On Friday, the arrested father was produced before the Panvel district sessions court in connection with the POCSO Act case. The court remanded the accused to police custody until Sunday. Once the police custody period concludes, he is scheduled to be sent to jail custody at the Taloja Central Prison.