Palghar: Man Arrested For Allegedly Raping Minor, Booked Under POCSO Act

Palghar, Maharashtra: A 31-year-old man, Dinesh Adhyaprasad Gupta, was arrested early Friday morning in connection with the alleged rape and repeated sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in Nalasopara East.

The incident came to light after the victim's mother, a local seller, filed a complaint with the Achole Police Station on July 26, 2025. 

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the accused, a painter by profession and a neighbor of the victim, allegedly lured the girl with an offer of buying her Dabeli (a popular Indian snack) approximately three months ago. He then allegedly engaged in sexual relations with her. The complaint further states that Gupta repeatedly threatened to kill the victim's two brothers if she disclosed the abuse to anyone, subsequently forcing her into sexual acts against her will on four to five more occasions, resulting in her pregnancy.

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The alleged incidents took place between April-May. The accused, originally from Babhan Gaon, in Uttar Pradesh, was apprehended on July 26, 2025.

He has been booked under Sections 64, 64(2)(M), 351(2) of the Indian Penal Code, along with Sections 4, 6, 8, and 12 of The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Further investigation is ongoing.