30-year-old man arrested for allegedly posing as transgender, entering home and raping woman in Powai

A 30-year-old man, who allegedly posed as a transgender person, sexually assaulted her and fled after taking INR 2,000 from her.

He was dressed in women’s clothes and entered the woman’s home in Powai, Mumbai, on the pretext of performing a ritual to bless her with a child.

The accused, identified as Anil Shinde, was arrested from Kalwa in Thane later the same night after police traced the autorickshaw he had taken to leave from the building.

According to police, the woman lives in Powai with her husband and an elderly relative. The couple have been married for four to five years and don’t have children.

On Wednesday afternoon, August 19, Shinde allegedly arrived at the flat dressed as a woman and claimed to be a transgender. The elderly relative opened the door while the woman’s husband was at work.

Police said Shinde initially pretended to bless the elderly woman and, during their conversation, learned that a young woman in the family had not conceived despite being married for several years.

He allegedly offered to perform a ritual to bless her with a child and entered the flat.

After speaking to the woman for a few minutes, Shinde allegedly asked her to lie down on the bed.

Under the guise of performing the ritual, he initially touched her head and then allegedly touched her inappropriately before sexually assaulting her, police said.

Before leaving, Shinde allegedly told her that she would soon be blessed with a child and demanded money.

The woman realised what had happened only about an hour later and informed her husband, who was at work. The couple approached Powai police station later in the evening, following which police registered a rape case.

Investigators examined CCTV footage from the building and surrounding areas and spotted the accused boarding an autorickshaw.

Police traced the vehicle using its registration number and questioned the driver, who told them where he had dropped the passenger.

Using technical evidence and information gathered during the investigation, police traced Shinde to Kalwa in Thane and detained him later on Wednesday night. During questioning, police established that he was a man and not a transgender, as he had allegedly claimed.

Shinde was arrested, produced before a court and remanded in police custody until Monday, August 24. Police are investigating whether the accused had used a similar modus operandi in other cases.