Pune: In a shocking case from Uruli Kanchan, a 19-year-old man was arrested for repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor girl, capturing inappropriate photographs, and threatening to leak them online when the girl rejected his romantic proposals. The Loni Kalbhor police apprehended the accused within 24 hours of his escape.

The accused, Sahil Mehboob Shaikh, a resident of Morevasti, Manjari Budruk, befriended the minor girl and took advantage of her age to engage in inappropriate acts. He also clicked obscene photographs of her using his mobile phone.

When the girl refused to continue the relationship and rejected his romantic advances, Shaikh threatened to release her photos on social media. To further intimidate her family, he contacted the girl’s mother, demanding her marriage to him and warning that he would leak the photos if his demand was not met.

The victim’s mother immediately approached the Loni Kalbhor police, who registered a case against Shaikh under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Sections 8 and 12.

After the case was registered, Shaikh switched off his phone and went into hiding. Despite this, the police launched an intensive search operation and successfully tracked him down within 24 hours. He was presented in court, which granted his remand to police custody for further investigation.

The operation was conducted under the guidance of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 5) Dr. Rajkumar Shinde, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Anuradha Udamale.

Senior Police Inspector Rajendra Panhale spearheaded the investigation with the support of Sub-Inspector Anil Jadhav, Pooja Mali, and a team of officers, including Satpute, Shinde, Devikar, Nagalot, Waghmode, Vir, Jojare, Kudale, Patil, Shirgire, Gade, and Kardile.