Aarey police arrest man for raping stepdaughter

The Aarey police on Friday arrested a 45-year-old man on charges of raping his teenage stepdaughter repeatedly for more than three weeks while her mother was out of town. The victim, 17, first told her mother about the incident, but later went to the police and lodged a complaint after her mother chose to keep quiet about it fearing that it would bring shame to the family.

The accused, who works as a plumber at a hospital in Kandivali, lived with his wife and stepdaughter in Aarey Colony. On Friday, the girl approached the police and lodged a complaint, accusing her stepfather of raping her several times between May 26 and June 19. The girl was alone at home with her stepfather since her mother had gone to the south for 20 days.

When her mother returned, the girl told her what had happened. However, she soon realised that her mother was too scared to act against her husband. "The mother is financially dependent on the accused, so she did not want him to be arrested. She also thought that reporting the matter would bring disrepute to the family," said a police officer from Aarey police.

A medical examination was conducted on the girl, after which her stepfather was arrested. A case under section 376 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against him.