Navi Mumbai rape accused jumps to death in front of cops

A 52-year-old contractor, accused of raping a minor girl in Kharghar, jumped to his death on Friday night
after he was taken to the spot where the crime allegedly took place, to seize his clothes.

According to the police, the deceased, identified as Ganesh Ganpatrao Kumavat, worked as a contractor on construction sites. On Friday morning, a 17-year-old approached the Kharghar police station, alleging that Kumavat raped her at his residence. A case was registered under Sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 4 and 5 under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

An officer from Kharghar police station said, “The accused got arrested at 5 pm on Friday, as the complainant said in her statement, that Kumavat raped her after one of her female friends took her to his residence and locked them inside. Her female friend was arrested later as well.”

Later, when Kumavat was taken to the spot at around 11.30 pm, along with witnesses, to seize the clothes that the accused wore during the crime, he ran towards the terrace and jumped from the water tank.
“The accused was immediately taken to a nearby government hospital, where he was declared dead,” added an officer involved in the case, on condition of anonymity. The case is under investigation of the state CID.