THANE: A day after minor girl rape case at the Kalyan Railway Yard, two separate incidents of sexual assault on 16-year-old girls have come to light in Dombivli. In both instances, the harrowing crimes were discovered only after the victims became pregnant.These back-to-back incidents have sent shocked the residents of twin Kalyan-Dombivli cities raising serious concerns over the safety of young girls. In latest case, both accused have been arrested and remanded to police custody.The first incident took place within the limits of the Ramnagar Police Station, involving a 24-year-old videographer and video editor identified as Shubham Saroj.The incident surfaced only after the minor victim became pregnant. The victim’s family lodged a formal complaint on Saturday evening, prompting swift action from the local police who nabbed Saroj immediately.The accused and the victim had known each other for two years. They attended the same coaching classes, which the accused allegedly used as a guise to build trust.Taking advantage of the acquaintance, Saroj lured the minor into a trap and repeatedly assaulted her.“The accused and the victim knew each other through coaching classes. He exploited this familiarity to trap and repeatedly assault her,” said Ganesh Juwadwad, Senior Police Inspector at Ramnagar Police Station.The second case was registered under the jurisdiction of the Manpada Police Station. According to police, the 16-year-old victim was allegedly assaulted by 23-year-old Kaju Nishad. Following the crime, Nishad fled Maharashtra to evade the law and hid in his village to Uttar Pradesh.The ordeal came to light a week ago when the victim’s family noticed physical changes and discovered her pregnancy. Reeling from the shock, the family immediately approached the police.“Using technical surveillance and local intelligence, our team tracked Nishad to his hideout in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested, brought back to Dombivli, and has been remanded to police custody,” a senior police officer said, adding that further investigation is underway.Saroj was produced before a Kalyan court, which remanded him to police custody until May 21. Both Nishad and Saroj have been booked under stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Police are conducting further investigations in both cases.(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
