A 26-year-old man wanted in connection with a rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case was arrested from Uttarakhand after evading law enforcement for months, police said on Friday.
Case Registration and Allegations
The case was registered on April 4, 2026, following a complaint by a 21-year-old woman at the Welcome police station. She alleged that in 2023, the accused sexually assaulted her at gunpoint. The woman further stated that the accused filmed the assault and later used the video to blackmail her, repeatedly exploiting her sexually. She also claimed he stalked her during her tuition classes and threatened both her and her family with serious harm.
Legal Provisions Invoked
Based on the complaint, police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including rape, stalking, and criminal intimidation. Upon investigation, it was revealed that the woman was a minor at the time of the offense, leading to the addition of Section 6 of the POCSO Act.
Investigation and Arrest
The accused had been absconding since the case was filed. Police utilized technical surveillance, call detail record (CDR) analysis, social media monitoring, and local intelligence to track him. Multiple raids were conducted at suspected hideouts. Non-bailable warrants were issued, and proceedings to declare him a proclaimed offender were initiated. Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided Bhagwanpur in Uttarakhand and arrested the accused, a resident of Welcome in northeast Delhi. Police verification revealed his prior involvement in cases of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and gambling.
