Ahmedabad: A Range Forest Officer in Gujarat’s Veraval has been arrested on charges of criminal intimidation and rape of a married woman, officials said on Sunday.
The victim, in her complaint, said she had approached RFO Haresh Galchar to seek bail for one of her relatives arrested under forest laws. The accused then forced her to sleep with him in exchange for her relative’s bail.
Since then, he has been repeatedly assaulting her in his office and quarters by threatening to kill her husband and son. He also threatened to kill her husband, she said.
Upon the victim’s complaint, the police lodged a case at Veraval City Police Station against Galchar and two others who abetted him.
Veraval Deputy Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Jaat told IANS that the complaint was lodged on July 28, but the accused was in contact with the victim since 2019, and are investigating if their relation was consensual.
The key accused in the case was nabbed during night patrolling of Veraval by Sub Inspector R.H. Maru and his team. However, the officials are still searching for the absconding duo of Danish Panja, a driver of the Forest Department, and Raju Galchar, a 108 ambulance driver, who are accused of abetting Haresh Galchar.
(IANS)
