In a determined pursuit, Mumbai Police finally apprehended Issaq Merchant, an absconding rape accused, who had managed to elude them for over a month. The breakthrough came when Merchant made a withdrawal from an ATM in Gujarat’s Valsad district.
The accused, a resident of Mumbai and a building work contractor is alleged to have raped a woman he met on social media, promising her marriage. Tragically, the victim was deceived by Merchant, who was already married but kept this information hidden from her. Under the pretext of marriage, they lived together, and over the course of 7-8 years, the accused sexually exploited her.
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When the woman insisted on marriage, Merchant asked her to leave the house, and he fled the city to evade the authorities. Initially, he switched off his phone, making it challenging for the police to track him down. However, the officials’ team continued their search and traced him to his wife’s residence in Nargol village, Gujarat.
A vital clue emerged when Merchant turned on his phone, using a different number. The police immediately sprang into action and tracked his movements to a lodge in Vapi, where he was found hiding. He was subsequently arrested and booked under relevant sections of the law, including rape, and is now in judicial custody.
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