A 24-year-old woman seeking employment fell victim to rape after being lured with a job offer, taken to a hotel, intoxicated, and then subjected to sexual assault in a car. The incident was reported at Worli police station, and Worli police have registered a case of rape and arrested the accused.
According to information from the police, the victim, a resident of Thane searching for a job, had asked a friend to inform her about any available job opportunities. The victim's friend provided her with the mobile number of a person named Joseph and advised her to contact him. The victim also communicated with Joseph via phone calls and WhatsApp regarding the job.
A police officer revealed that on Thursday evening, the victim's friend called her and informed her that Joseph was in Khar, urging her to come quickly. Consequently, the victim took a taxi to Khar, where her friend and Joseph were waiting. They took her to a hotel where they consumed alcohol. When the hotel closed at midnight, they left and started heading home.
The victim stated to the police that while walking towards Khar station, Joseph arrived on his white Activa and offered to drop her at the station.
However, Joseph did not take her to the station, claiming that all trains must have stopped by then, and suggested she sleep in his car. He then took her to Worli and asked her to rest in his car.
The victim informed the police that around 3 am, while she was sleeping in the car, Joseph started molesting her. When she resisted, he forcibly removed her clothes and raped her.
After the assault, Joseph threatened the victim with harm if she reported the incident. He then placed her in a taxi and instructed the driver to take her home. Once in the taxi, the victim contacted a lawyer friend and recounted the entire ordeal. The friend advised her to report the incident to the police.
The victim initially asked the taxi driver to take her to the nearby police station, but the driver claimed he didn't know the location. Subsequently, she got out of the taxi and took another one to reach NM Joshi Marg police station, where she narrated the entire incident. After hearing her account, the police informed her that the case fell under Worli police's jurisdiction. NM Joshi Marg police then escorted her to Worli police station, where her complaint was registered.
Worli police have registered a rape case and arrested the accused, Joseph James Xavier (50). The police will produce the accused in court on Saturday.