Lawyer arrested for raping 22-year-old after helping her arrested mother get bail

MUMBAI: A 27-year-old lawyer was arrested by the Parksite police in Vikroli East for allegedly raping a 22-year-old woman from Kurla after promising to marry her.
The police said the survivor had approached the lawyer to get her mother, who was arrested for theft, out on bail. The lawyer helped her mother get bail, befriended her and then raped her under the false promise of marriage, the police added. The accused was identified as Siddhanth Kapase, a Dombivli resident.
The woman’s mother had been arrested in a theft case. She was in judicial custody for three months, which is when her daughter started looking for help to get her out on bail.
“She was told about an NGO in Sandhurst Road that can help her get her mother out. She then approached the NGO and met the accused Siddhant Kapse, 27, who took her mobile number. Thereafter, they started chatting and, later, he even helped get her mother released on bail,” said a police officer.
After her mother was released on bail in February 2023, the survivor and the accused started meeting and went to a movie together. “He started touching her, and when she objected, he promised to marry her and took her to his house when no one was around and had sexual relations with her,” said the police officer. This happened several times, but when the complainant asked him about marriage, he allegedly refused, assaulted and threatened her.
“We have registered a case under sections 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 69 (engaging in sexual activity based on a false promise of marriage) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023,” said the police officer.