Man and Woman Arrested for Extorting Runaway Girls at Pune Railway Station, Senior RPF and Central Railway Officers Under Scanner

Mubarak Ansari

Pune, 7th November 2023: In a recent development, the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Pune arrested two persons responsible for detaining runaway children, particularly girls who had eloped.

This operation was allegedly orchestrated by Railway Protection Force (RPF) head constable Anil Pawar, who, following allegations of sexually assaulting a rescued girl, is currently at large after the filing of an FIR.

The arrested individuals, identified as Karan Rathod (30) and Sushmita Kasbe (24), were reportedly hired by Anil Pawar, operating under the guise of an NGO located in the railway quarters on Tadiwala Road. An earlier arrest by the GRP involved Kamlesh Tiwari, associated with the NGO Sidharth Multipurpose Society.

The NGO, ostensibly established to care for senior citizens and beggars at the railway station, is now under scrutiny for its involvement in criminal activities. The recent case involves the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl from Chhattisgarh, ‘rescued’ from Pune railway station and taken to the NGO premises. Pawar and Tiwari are accused of assaulting her and subsequently extorting money from her boyfriend for her release.

A senior officer informed Punekar News, stating, “Rathod and Kasbe were tasked with locating runaway girls, particularly those who had eloped, and then extorting money from their boyfriends. The chain of extortion reaches higher-ranking officers as well. We have applied sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and have also reported the NGO’s activities to the Charity Commissioner.”