Navi Mumbai police have registered a case of rape and stalking against Sahil Chougule, a 25-year-old co-opted corporator from the Shiv Sena, on Wednesday. Chougule has dismissed the accusations as false, claiming he is the victim of a political conspiracy.
Allegations of Sexual Assault
The complainant, a 26-year-old woman, accused Chougule of sexually assaulting her multiple times starting from July 2024. According to the FIR, Chougule's aide, Amit Maurya, a resident of Chinchpada, Airoli, has been named as a co-accused for booking a hotel room in his name where the alleged assault took place. Senior Inspector Balkrushna Sawant confirmed that neither Chougule nor Maurya have been arrested yet, as the investigation is ongoing.
Chougule's Defense
Chougule has vehemently denied the allegations, stating that the woman has a history of filing false rape complaints to extort money. He claimed that last year, she targeted a police inspector from Rabale MIDC with a similar false complaint. Chougule said he has submitted an audio clip to the Rabale police in which the woman allegedly admits to trapping her targets by lodging false sexual assault complaints and blackmailing them for money. He further alleged that the case is a political conspiracy orchestrated by a rival party to defame him and destroy his political career.
The Complainant's Account
In her complaint, the woman stated that in July 2024, she went to Chougule's apartment in Airoli to meet her uncle, who worked there. Chougule allegedly told her to wait in his apartment until her uncle returned and gave her a soft drink laced with sedatives, causing her to lose consciousness. When she regained consciousness, she realized she had been sexually assaulted.
The woman further alleged that Chougule threatened to make her nude images viral on social media and also threatened to harm her husband and minor son. When she requested him to delete the obscene images from his mobile, he refused and blocked her number. She claimed that when she contacted him from an unknown number, he hurled expletives and again refused to delete the images.
Police Inaction and Political Intervention
The complainant alleged that the police refused to register her FIR when she approached them on September 9. In October, her husband left for his hometown with their child after learning about the incident. On June 1, she approached a Shiv Sena (UBT) politician, who helped her lodge the police complaint.
Chougule is the nephew of Shiv Sena corporator Vijay Chougule, the leader of the opposition in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation. The case remains under investigation.
