Mumbai, May 20 (MD): A 28-year-old woman, who was being raped and threatened by two men since 2012, was saved by her 23-year-old sister, who lodged a police complaint when they began to target her as well.

The Vakola police have registered a case of rape and various other sections of the IPC against the two accused, Mahesh Ashok Balid (23) and Balu Dhotre (38), and arrested them on Monday. According to police sources, Balid allegedly raped the elder sister for the first time in 2012, after a false promise of marriage. 

He raped her in the dispensary in Kalina where they were colleagues. Police said that later, Balid got his friend Dhotre involved, and said he could “provide” him a girl if he was interested in having sex with one, but he would have to “play a game”. Balid told Dhotre that he had recently raped a girl, and if he (Dhotre) was also interested in raping her, he would have to threaten her.

Balid suggested he do this by saying that he had seen her getting intimate with him (Balid), and he would tell her parents about this. He instructed Dhotre to tell the woman that if she wanted him to keep his mouth shut, she must have sex with him (Dhotre).

As per Balid’s advice, Dhotre began threatening the girl, and raped her several times. This continued till 2015, and during this period Dhotre got her to abort twice.

Targeting her sister

Police further explained that Balid then began threatening the girl’s younger sister by saying he and his friend (Dhotre) had raped her elder sister several times, and they would tell everyone in the locality about this.

He also said nobody would marry either of them because of this, and if she didn’t want him to tell people, she must have sex with him. Initially the younger sister was scared, but later talked to her parents, who contacted a social worker, Naina Patil. Patil took the younger sister to the Vakola police and an FIR was filed against the duo.

Cop speak

Dilip Yadav, police inspector, Vakola police station, said, “On the basis of the complaint, we arrested Balid and Dhotre. They wanted to target the victim’s younger sister, but she bravely told her parents what had happened. The accused Dhotre is a plumber, while Balid is jobless.”

“Both the accused were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 376 (rape), 354 (A) (sexual harassment), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

We are doing further investigations and we will also inquire with the hospital where the abortions were done, if required,” Yadav told mid-day.