Maharashtra: 41-yr-old booked for rape, defamation of woman in Mumbai

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], February 6 (ANI): A 41-year-old man was booked for allegedly raping his 22-year-old friend by blackmailing her and trying to defame her by distributing printouts of their private chats among her neighbours, police said.
The accused has been identified and is said to have known the complainant since 2019.
According to Mumbai police, in February 2019, the accused allegedly took her to a lodge, raped her and captured the video of the act.
The woman alleged that the accused raped her multiple times after the incident while threatening her to share the explicit video with her family, said the police.
The accused person had been blackmailing the woman for physical favours, and when she refused his demands, he allegedly dropped a packet with a memory card of the video and printouts of their chats in her neighbourhood, said police.
After this incident, the complainant was under mental pressure and did not immediately report the matter to the police, but when the accused continued to harass her, she finally went to the police.
The victim thereafter lodged a complaint against the accused on February 4 at a police station in Mumbai.
Based on the complaint of the woman, the police have registered a case against the 41-year-old accused under sections 376, 376(2)(N), 384, 506 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code and started searching for the accused.
Further details on the matter are awaited. (ANI)