New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) In a significant breakthrough, the team of Welcome Police Station in Delhi on Friday has arrested an accused who was wanted in a serious case involving rape, criminal intimidation, stalking, and offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to police, a complaint was received at PS Welcome on April 4 from a 21-year-old woman, who alleged that she had been sexually assaulted in 2023 by a man who threatened her with a pistol. The accused allegedly recorded a video of the act and later used it to blackmail and threaten her.

He is also accused of repeatedly sexually exploiting the woman and stalking her during her tuition classes. The victim further alleged that the accused extended threats to her and her family members with dire consequences.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered under Sections 64(2)(m), 78, 351(3), and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at PS Welcome.

During the course of the investigation, police found that the victim was a minor at the time of the alleged incident. Consequently, Section 6 of the POCSO Act was added to the case.

Since the registration of the FIR, the accused had been absconding. Police conducted multiple raids at his suspected hideouts and made sustained efforts to trace him through technical surveillance, call detail record (CDR) analysis, social media monitoring, and local intelligence gathering. Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) were obtained against him, and proceedings under Section 84 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to declare him a Proclaimed Offender had also been initiated.

A dedicated police team worked extensively on the case under the leadership of Inspector Rupesh Kumar Khatri, SHO of PS Welcome, and the supervision of the ACP, Bhajanpura, Sehdev Kumar Rana.

Acting on specific intelligence, the team conducted a raid in Uttarakhand’s Bhagwanpur and successfully apprehended the 26-year-old accused, a resident of the Welcome area. Police said the accused has previous criminal involvement in cases related to culpable homicide not amounting to murder and gambling.

–IANS

jk/vd