Two men have been arrested for repeatedly raping a fifteen-year-old Adivasi girl for months in Bordi, Dahanu. The girl and her family approached the police after she got pregnant.
The two accused, Ashok Lakshman Kadvale (30) and Sandeep Patil (45), are in judicial custody at present.
The girl, a resident of Babhulpada, Bordi, is the eldest among three siblings, and belongs to a poor family. Her father works on fishing boats, and is often out at sea for 24 hours or more during fishing trips. The three children stay in the house with their mother, who works as a maid servant. At night, the mother sleeps outside on the veranda with her son and younger daughter, while the victim sleeps indoors. Though the house has openings for doors, no doors have actually been fitted.
In March, Kadvale entered the house, covered her mouth with his palm, and raped her. The girl said she saw his face while he was leaving, and recognised him as Kadvale, a resident of the neighbourhood. Kadvale threatened to kill her if she spoke about the incident to anyone. The next night, Patil raped her and he too threatened her. The victim says she recognised him too.
This continued for months. In August, the girl started feeling unwell and told her mother. When she was taken to a doctor, it came to light that she was pregnant. The family then decided to file a police complaint.
“The victim filed a complaint on September 16, and we arrested the two accused on September 19,” said Police Sub Inspector V S Gavit of Gholwad Police Station in Dahanu. After the initial police remand, the two are now in judicial custody. “We have sent their DNA sample to the State Forensic Science Laboratory at Santacruz,” Gavit said. The police are yet to take the DNA samples of the victim.
