MAHARASHTRA, 27 JULY

A sessions court in Maharashtra’s Latur city on Sunday remanded the main accused in the alleged rape of an HIV-infected minor girl at a shelter home in police custody for one day.

The accused, Amit Ankush Waghmare, was arrested on Saturday. Police have so far arrested five persons, including the founder of the shelter, in connection with the alleged sexual assault, an official said.

The girl was allegedly raped over two years at a children’s shelter home in Latur district and forced to terminate her pregnancy.

As per the complaint filed by the girl at Dhoki police station in her native Dharashiv district, the incidents took place between 13 July 2023 and 23 July this year at Sevalay, a home for HIV-infected children in Hasegaon here.

She was allegedly raped by an employee of the shelter four times. He also threatened her not to disclose the ordeal to anyone. The shelter management did not help her and even tore up a letter she had marked for officials and dropped into a complaint box, according to the police.

After she fell ill, she was taken to a hospital where tests showed that she was four months pregnant, following which the accused got a doctor to perform an abortion procedure without her consent, police had said earlier.

Sevalay founder Ravi Bapatle, its superintendent Rachna Bapatle, employee Rani Waghmare, and Pooja Waghmare were arrested in the case on Friday and produced before the sessions court on Saturday. They were sent to police custody till 28 July.

Amit Waghmare was on Sunday produced in the sessions court, which sent him to police custody for a day, an official said.

Since the police custody of all five accused will end on Monday (28 July), they will be presented in the court, the official said.

Earlier, due to the confusion of the survivor, one Amit Mahamuni was also detained, but after finding that he had nothing to do with the crime, he was released, police have said.

Meanwhile, a probe is underway concerning the hospital where the minor was allegedly made to undergo an abortion, police said.