Picture used for representational purpose only

PALGHAR: A man, who married a 22-year-old woman but later deserted her as she belonged to a 'lower caste', has been booked for allegedly raping her, police said on Thursday.

The accused, Swapnil Mali from Saravati in Bhiwandi , was booked by the district rural police on Wednesday, an official said.

"As per the complaint filed by the woman from Achole in Nalasopara, Mali had befriended her on a social media platform and married her at a court in Bandra months later," Palghar police spokesperson Hemant Katkar said.

"The woman alleged that he repeatedly raped her between July and August this year. When she asked him to take her to his house, the accused flatly refused and said that members of his community do not marry people from lower caste. Thereafter, he abandoned her," the official added.

A case was registered against Mali at Arnala police station and he was booked under sections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating) of the IPC and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

Investigation into the case is on, Katkar said.

