A court in Maharashtra’s Thane district has acquitted three persons, including a woman, accused of repeatedly raping and extorting money from a 40-year-old woman.
Additional sessions judge Amit M Shete on April 19 acquitted the accused of charges under relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
Additional public prosecutor Sanjay B More informed the court that the victim, who is a widow, lived with her children in Kashimira and the accused were also from her neighbourhood.
According to the prosecution, the crime had taken place between 2010 and 2014, when one of the alleged accused helped the victim financially and even offered to marry her. He later raped her on multiple occasions.
The victim then approached the woman accused, who promised to help her and demanded Rs 30,000, which the victim managed to collect by pawning her jewellery, they said.
The victim has also alleged that she was repeatedly raped by another man, who was present during her meeting with the woman accused, the prosecution said.
After examining the evidence, the court expressed doubts that the victim, who had been subjected to sexual assault for a considerable period of time, had not shown any resistance.
It further said that it appeared that the relationship, if so, must be by consent.
The court also raised questions on why the victim had accepted financial assistance from one of the accused, when she could raise Rs 30,000 by pawning her gold jewellery.
The prosecution’s version, rather the allegations, are nothing but a concocted or an imaginary story of the victim, the judge said, adding that there was no material on record to support the charges levelled against the accused.
