Delhi Man Who Eloped With Minor In 2018 Arrested After 8 Years In POCSO, Rape Case

A 32 year old Delhi man wanted in a POCSO and rape case for nearly eight years has been arrested in Pune, police said on Sunday. Sagar alias Sumit was caught on August 6 after police tracked him through technical surveillance and local information.

Police said Sagar told them that he had eloped with the girl in 2018 when she was 16. He later married her and lived with her as his wife, police said. He was working as a vegetable vendor in Pune.

The case began after the girl went missing from her home on January 24, 2018. Her mother filed a complaint and a rape case was registered at Anand Parbat police station on February 1.

The girl was found on February 24 and was medically examined. During the investigation, she told police that Sagar was her boyfriend and that she had left home with him.

She went missing again and was found in September 2020. In her statement before a magistrate, she said she had married Sagar and that they had a daughter.

The woman returned to her parents' home with her daughter in 2023. She was later diagnosed with tuberculosis and died while undergoing treatment in 2024.

Her daughter is now living with Sagar's grandparents, police said.

Sagar remained untraced for years despite police efforts. A team eventually located him in Burde Basti in Pune. Police said local intelligence and technical surveillance helped them find him.

After the arrest, police obtained a transit remand from a Pune court and brought him back to Delhi. He was produced before a duty magistrate and sent to judicial custody.

Police said Sagar has no other criminal cases against him. The investigation into the case is continuing.