30-yr-old man arrested for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman on pretext of marriage
Raipur: The Dharamjaigarh Police arrested a 30-year-old man on Sunday for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman for years on the false promise of marriage. The action was taken under ‘Abhiyan Samvedna’, an initiative launched on the directions of Raigarh SSP Shashi Mohan Singh to ensure swift action in crimes against women.
The accused, Pankaj Gupta, a resident of Godhanpur, Ambikapur (Surguja district), was produced before a local court and sent to judicial remand.
The case was transferred to Dharamjaigarh Police Station after a Zero FIR was registered at Gandhinagar Police Station, Surguja, on 3 July 2026.
According to the 22-year-old victim, she came in contact with the accused in 2018 while living in a rented house near his residence in Dharamjaigarh. She alleged that on 20 June 2018, when she was still a minor, the accused raped her after giving a false assurance of marriage and later convinced her to remain silent by repeatedly promising to marry her.
The accused allegedly continued the sexual exploitation for several years. The victim stated that although the accused married another woman in 2019, he kept forcing her into a relationship. Whenever she resisted, he allegedly threatened to commit suicide, harm himself, or implicate her in false cases.
The victim later shifted to Raigarh and then Ambikapur for higher studies, but the accused allegedly stalked her to both places. He continued making false promises of marriage, claiming that his wife had left him. The accused later married for the second time, yet continued contacting and exploiting the victim. She finally approached the police after he refused to marry her.
The Dharamjaigarh Police registered a case against the accused under Section 64(2)(m) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 4 & 6 of the POCSO Act.
The accused was arrested by a police team led by Inspector Rajesh Jangde, ASI Manju Mishra, and Head Constable Prakash Giri, after recording the victim’s statement and collecting evidence. The operation was supervised by Additional SP Anil Soni and SDOP Siddhant Tiwari.
SSP Shashi Mohan Singh said the Raigarh Police remain committed to protecting the dignity and safety of women, and assured strict legal action against offenders in such cases.
