Thane: Khan forced his entry into the girl’s house on August 27 when her parents were away for work and forced himself on her. He fled when the victim’s sister raised an alarm, a Navghar police official said

A 19-year-old man from Mira Road in Thane district of Maharashtra has been arrested for allegedly raping his 15-year-old neighbour and threatening her, police said on Saturday.

The accused, Sameer Khan, used to stalk the girl and tried to speak to her over the phone several times.

Khan forced his entry into the girl’s house on August 27 when her parents were away for work and forced himself on her. He fled when the victim’s sister raised an alarm, a Navghar police official said.

Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under sections 373 (Buying minor for purposes of prostitution etc.) and 376-1 (committing rape on a woman under sixteen years of age) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against Khan.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a total of 428278 cases of crime against women were reported out of which, 39526 cases were reported in Maharashtra, making it the third state with the highest cases of crime against women.

Nationally, a total of 31,677 rape cases were registered last year and an increase in rape cases by 20% has been witnessed in comparison to 2020 as per the report. On average around 86 rape cases were reported daily with Rajasthan recording the highest number of rape cases in the country.