Police in Chhattisgarh’s Sakti district have apprehended a man accused of deceiving a young woman with false promises of marriage through Instagram, subsequently kidnapping and sexually assaulting her. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old Rakesh Tandon, was captured with the help of the district’s Cyber Cell after the victim reported the incident on May 25.
The victim narrated how Tandon, gaining her trust on social media, convinced her of marriage and then took her to a secluded spot on May 11, where he threatened and assaulted her. Following the assault, he forcibly relocated her to Bilaspur, destroying her SIM card to isolate her.
The victim was then taken to Maharashtra’s Karad-Malkapur area, where she was held captive and subjected to physical and sexual abuse, along with threats against her family if she resisted. The police responded swiftly by filing a First Information Report (FIR) under stringent sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launching a manhunt.
Authorities, led by Superintendent of Police Prafull Thakur, Additional Superintendent of Police Pankaj Patel, and SDOP Dr. Bhuvaneshwari Painkra, apprehended the accused in his hometown following intelligence inputs. Tandon, who confessed to the crimes during interrogation, was arrested on May 29 and remanded to judicial custody by a local court.
The investigation, actively pursued by the police team with the Cyber Cell’s assistance, continues to gather evidence against the perpetrator.
