The matter came to light re cently , during the hearing of a bail application filed by a 32-year-old Bangalore techie, Rajesh Chaudhary (name changed), who was in jail since his arrest in January following an FIR by the woman at the Kamothe police station. Under the RTI Act, the defence lawyers found that the woman had filed three similar complaints, including two cases of gang rape, at different police stations in 2015. In two of the cases that alleged gang rape, no FIRs were lodged and the complaints were subsequently withdrawn.

“It is intriguing how and why the police did not register an FIR even though the complainant made serious allegations of gang rape, and permitted her to withdraw the charge on an affidavit filed by her,“ said Justice Revati Mohite-Dere.“Therefore, prima facie, there appears to be some substance in the submissions advanced by the lawyer for the applicant that the complainant had filed similar cases for extorting money and possibly the same was done with the connivance of the police,“ said the judge, ordering that the techie be released on bail of Rs 10,000. The police commissioner has been directed to inquire into the complaints filed by the woman and the allegations, and take appropriate action.

Senior advocate Ashok Mundargi, counsel for Chaudhary , alleged that the woman, along with police officers, were running a racket to exploit people and extort money from them. In the present case, the woman lodged a complaint in January , claiming that Chaudhary was introduced to her in 2010 as a gym instructor and used to help her exercise at her home. She charged that in 2011, when her parents were not at home, Chaudhary raped her, threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident, and subsequently took away money and ornaments worth over Rs 4 lakh from her. Chaudhary in his bail plea said he was never a gym instructor and was in Bangalore at the time the crime is alleged to have been committed. Information obtained by Chaudhary revealed that the woman had filed three similar complaints in 2015. At the CBD Belapur police station, she had lodged a complaint in March 2015 that a man raped her between 2007 and 2015 and had taken Rs 14 lakh from her in all, from time to time. Next, she filed a complaint at the Nerul police station in June 2015, alleging that two men raped her in 20072008 and took Rs 3.25 lakh from her. Four months later, in October, she filed a complaint at the Vashi police station that she had been raped by two men during 2007-2013, who took Rs 5.5 lakh from her. The woman withdrew the complaints, claiming the matter was a dispute over business transactions.

Chaudhary claimed he had been receiving threats from unknown persons that he would be falsely implicated in a criminal case if he did not cough up money . He was summoned from Bengaluru by the Kamothe police for an inquiry and was arrested when he showed up at the police station. His lawyers questioned the 4-5 year delay in lodging the rape complaint and pointed out that in the other three cases too, the rape allegations dated back to 2007.The modus operandi was to file rape cases and extort money , the lawyers contended. The HC has given the police commissioner a month's time to submit the inquiry report.

Techie In Dock Finds Woman Filed 3 More Rape CasesMUMBAI: The Bombay high court has ordered Navi Mumbai police commissioner Prabhat Ranjan to conduct an inquiry into several rape complaints filed by a 41-year-old woman amid allegations that the police are involved in a racket to extort money .