Man booked for rape as teen delivers baby at Thane hospital

Thane: Police have registered a case against a 21-year-old man from Maharashtra’s Palghar district for allegedly repeatedly raping a 17-year-old girl from Thane city, an official said on Friday.

The case came to light after the teenager, who became pregnant following the alleged sexual assault, delivered a baby at the Thane Civil Hospital on August 12, he said.

After being alerted by the hospital authorities, the Kasarwadavli police registered a case against the man under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on Tuesday, he said.

The accused is a tribal from Malwada near Vikramgad in Palghar district. He allegedly sexually assaulted the teenager after she refused to marry him, the official said, quoting the complaint.