Pune News: Man Held for Luring Woman into Physical Relationship on the Pretext of Marriage

Pune: A young woman was allegedly lured into a physical relationship under the false promise of marriage. Six years later, after securing a job with the Municipal Corporation, the accused arranged to marry another woman. Upon discovering this, the victim rushed to the police station and filed a complaint.

Pune's Chaturshrungi police have registered a case against the accused charging him with rape, fraud, and other relevant offenses and subsequently arrested him. The accused has been identified as Prathamesh Sunil Deshmukh. According to the police, the 28-year-old victim and the accused, Prathamesh Deshmukh, first connected via social media in 2018. After realizing they lived in the same city, they began meeting in person. During these meetings, the accused, Prathamesh, promised to marry the victim and subsequently established physical relations with her.

Thereafter, Prathamesh continued to engage in physical relations with the victim by repeatedly dangling the promise of marriage before her. In 2022, the families of both individuals met and even performed the Tilak ceremony (an engagement ritual). However, the accused's maternal uncle, Parimal Bhange (a resident of Aundh), later called off the alliance, citing the need for a more elaborate wedding ceremony.

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After a setback, Prathamesh married the victim in a temple and continued their relationship, promising to live separately until their families approved. In 2025, after securing a job with the Pune Municipal Corporation, Prathamesh told the victim that a formal wedding was necessary for her to live with him. The victim agreed, but on March 19, she discovered Prathamesh was planning to marry another woman. She then filed a complaint at the Chaturshrungi Police Station, leading to Prathamesh's arrest. Sub-Inspector Snehal Patil is investigating the case.