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Class 12 girl held captive, blackmailed, raped by Instagram friend for 24 hours in Nagpur
The suspect first connected with the girl on Instagram last year, where he had created a handle under the fake name ‘Akash Mehra’ in May.
A Class 12 girl was allegedly held captive, tortured, and repeatedly sexually assaulted for over 24 hours at a rented apartment in south Nagpur’s Dighori area before being rescued late Monday night, police said.
The suspect, identified as 20-year-old Nirbhay Pakhare, is an undergraduate business management student and the son of two prominent doctors based in Thane, nearly 700 km away.
According to investigators, Pakhare created a fake Instagram profile under the name “Akash Mehra” in May last year and connected with the victim. After building rapport online, he allegedly obtained explicit photographs of her, which he subsequently used to blackmail her into meeting him in person. Police revealed that Pakhare had previously assaulted the girl at a hotel and later rented the Dighori apartment specifically to continue abusing her during his trips from Thane.
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Pakhare again brought the girl to the apartment on Sunday morning but this time, he didn’t free her. The girl’s family - her father is a senior government official - lodged a police complaint at the Hudkeshwar police station when she did not return home on Monday.
Girl rescued during late-night police raid
When a police team finally traced the college student and his victim to the apartment at 11pm on Monday, her hands and legs had been tied to a bed. He had stripped her and had a leather belt in his hand, and a knife placed next to the bed. There were multiple injury marks on her body and she was pleading for mercy.
A police officer said she broke down when she saw the police personnel.
The suspect was promptly overpowered, and the girl was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
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Instagram chats, food delivery trail led police to flat
Police said the breakthrough in its efforts to trace the missing girl came after investigators analysed her Instagram chats and other digital footprints that traced the accused to his Thane residence and contacted his family.
On Nagpur police’s request, Thane police asked the accused’s mother to call him. As soon as he answered the phone, police narrowed in. The suspect, who had held the girl for almost a day, had forced her to call her parents to assure them that she was safe. That call provided investigators with another crucial lead.
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Police then tracked an online food delivery executive heading to the same address and discreetly followed him to the rented apartment before launching the late-night raid.
In the 24 hours spent in captivity, the girl was allegedly subjected to repeated sexual assault and filmed.
Forensic investigation underway
Senior Inspector Anamika Mirzapure said the suspect was produced before a local court and remanded in police custody for two days.
“We are investigating whether the accused was involved in similar offences in the past. His Instagram account, mobile phones and other digital devices are being thoroughly examined,” Mirzapure said.
She added that an extensive forensic investigation has been launched with the assistance of the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory.
“Electronic devices recovered from the flat are being examined, while DNA samples, fingerprints and other forensic evidence are being meticulously collected. They will play a crucial role in the investigation,” she further said.
