Nagpur man booked for rape after Instagram friendship, minor found four months pregnant

A friendship struck up on social media has turned into a major ordeal for a minor girl in Nagpur. MIDC police have registered a rape case against a 21 year old man from Warora in Chandrapur district. The accused allegedly raped a 16 year old girl after the two became friends on Instagram.

The matter came to light when the girl's health began to deteriorate and her family took her to hospital for treatment. Doctors examining her found that she was around four months pregnant. It was only after this that the family learnt of the alleged rape and approached the police.

Police have registered a case against Manish Mohrale (21), a resident of Warora, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The investigation is ongoing.

According to police, the victim is a first year BA student at a college in the Sitabuldi area of Nagpur. She had become acquainted with the accused on Instagram some time ago, and this turned into a friendship. Police are now trying to establish how long the two had been in contact on social media and how the accused arranged to meet the girl. Chats and other communication on Instagram are also being examined as part of the investigation.

According to the complaint, on April 30 the accused took the girl in a four wheeler to a secluded spot near Narmada Nagari in the Hingna area. The complaint alleges that the accused raped her there. The girl did not immediately tell her family about it afterward. Police are now trying to establish the circumstances under which the girl was taken there and what communication took place between the two before and after the incident.

The case came to light only after the girl's health worsened. A hospital examination revealed that she was around four months pregnant. This medical report made the family aware of the seriousness of the matter, and they went to the MIDC police station to file a complaint against the accused. Based on the complaint, police registered a case and began investigating.

MIDC police are investigating both the alleged friendship that began on Instagram and the subsequent meetings between the accused and the girl. Police are trying to determine when the two first made contact, how often they communicated, whether they had met before April 30, and what communication took place around the time of the alleged incident. Other circumstances relating to the alleged rape and the subsequent discovery of the pregnancy are also being investigated.

Since the girl was 16 years old at the time of the incident, police have also invoked sections of the POCSO Act, which provides special legal provisions for crimes against children. The case is being investigated by MIDC police, and further legal action will depend on the evidence and facts established during the investigation.