In a disturbing incident reported in Maharashtra’s Satara district, an accused identified as Uvaish Ansari has been booked by the Maharashtra Police for sexually assaulting a minor girl and threatening her. Ansari also took derogatory pictures of the minor and used them to coerce her into further sexual exploitation, according to the victim’s complaint.
The crime unfolded in 2021 when the girl was 17 years old. The complainant, in a report filed on 4 December this year, stated that she initially encountered Ansari while playing an online PUB-G game in 2021. Ansari, hailing from Hamidpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP), developed a ‘friendship’ with the girl, leading to conversations on WhatsApp and engagement on various social media platforms.
The interactions continued for about a year until February 2023, when Ansari insisted on meeting the girl in person. Upon his arrival in Satara, the duo visited a nearby fort named Ajinkyatara. It was during this encounter that the accused molested the girl and took derogatory photos, subsequently using them to blackmail her. He coerced her into accompanying him to a local residency lodge, where he sexually assaulted her and recorded a demeaning video on his phone.
Ansari then allegedly threatened the girl, claiming he would expose the compromising photos to her parents and villagers if she did not comply with his sexual demands. Although the incident occurred in February, the accused continued to harass the girl over social media platforms, demanding explicit photos through Snapchat and threatening to distribute derogatory content to her parents.
The terrified girl refrained from seeking help for several months but finally disclosed the incident on 1 December after Ansari informed her of his visit to Satara. The girl’s family promptly reported the sexual assault to the District Police Station.
The First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under sections 354A, 354D, 376(2)(n), and 506 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Additionally, sections 12 and 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have been invoked against the accused. Ongoing investigations would uncover further details surrounding the case.
The incident sheds light on the escalating crimes against women in Maharashtra, as highlighted in a recent report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Maharashtra ranks fourth in the country for recording rape cases against women, following Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The state reported 2,904 incidents of rape and 2,295 cases of murder in 2022, according to the NCRB report. Additionally, Maharashtra saw a significant surge in rioting cases, securing the top position in this category, as per the report.
