Delivery man booked for sexual assault in Bhayandar, as teenager kills herself

The accused was booked and arrested following a complaint by the minor’s mother. Representation pic

A food delivery person has been arrested from Bhayandar on Wednesday on charges of sexual assault and abetment to suicide of a minor. The case came to light after the 17-year-old girl, who lived in Worli, set herself ablaze at her village in Ratnagiri and subsequently died while undergoing treatment at KEM Hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday. The arrest came following a complaint by the minor's mother.

According to police, the minor was in a relationship with the accused, Yogesh Jadhav. However, the girl's parents learnt of their relationship and sent her to Lanja in Ratnagiri, their native village. A cop said the girl was under stress due to the separation and set herself on fire on January 27. Her relatives rushed her to a hospital in Lanja and later shifted her to KEM Hospital as her condition deteriorated.

Sources said that the girl, while in the hospital, told her mother that she had physical relations with Jadhav. "Based on what she told her mother, we registered a case under sections 376 (sexual assault) and 305 (abetment of suicide of child) of the IPC and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and arrested Jadhav from Bhayandar," said a police officer.

While the minor died at KEM Hospital which falls under Bhoiwada police limits, the case has been filed by Worli police as the physical relationship took place in Worli under their jurisdiction. Senior Inspector Anil Koli from Worli police station told mid-day, "We have arrested the accused in this case and are investigating further." "Jadhav was produced before the court and has been remanded in police custody till Saturday," another cop said.

27 January
Day the minor girl set herself ablaze