Victim was warned not to inform anyone
DECCAN CHRONICLE.
Published May 17, 2017, 1:54 am IST
Hyderabad: A 44-year-old Army Colonel who sexually assaulted a 19-year-old girl and impregnated her was arrested by Cyberabad Police. Police said Rishi Sharma, serving at Defence Research and Development Organisa-tion (DRDO), assaulted the girl four months back. The issue came to light when her mother found that the girl was pregnant.
According to police, Sharma is deputed as administrative officer at the DRDO Shameerpet unit and residing in the army quarters. The girl’s mother (45) is communication manager in a Central government agency and residing in Upperpally. The woman is separated from her husband and is living with her daughter and son who are studying engineering and intermediate respectively.
Two years back, Rishi met the woman at a function and befriended her. Gradually their friendship grew leading to an illicit relationship. Rishi would come to her home twice a week and would often sleep in the same house. In January, the woman went to visit her ailing mother in Nellore district in AP which Rishi was aware of. After she left, he went to her house and spent some time with the two kids. Later he dropped the son to college on his bike and returned to the flat where the girl was alone.
“He sexually assaulted the girl and warned her not to tell this to anyone, threatening her of dire consequences. Rishi continued to visit the house to meet her mother, but the girl was scared to speak out,” Rajendranagar inspector V. Umender said.
A week back, the girl developed some health complications and was taken to a private hospital. The doctors found that she was pregnant. On questioning by her mother, the girl told her everything. When Rishi came to know that the girl had spoken to her mother, he warned them not to reveal to anybody and threatened to kill them. But the girl’s father came to know about the issue and pressurised the woman to lodge a complaint. Based on her complaint, police registered a case for rape and arrested Sharma on Saturday and sent him to judicial remand. Police have written to the Army authorities about the incident and the arrest.
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