JAIPUR: A 48-year-old Rajasthan police constable was arrested Sunday for allegedly raping a pregnant woman in a city hotel while her three-year-old son was present in the room, police said.
Constable Bhagaram allegedly lured the 27-year-old woman under the pretext of recording her statement regarding her husband’s dispute with a neighbour. Police said he threatened to jail her husband, a labourer, if she resisted. According to ACP Vinod Kumar Sharma, a forensic team visited the crime scene and the constable has been suspended.
“A medical examination of the survivor was conducted and an investigation is ongoing,” he said. The woman, who was three months pregnant, was home alone with her son Saturday morning when the constable arrived, claiming he needed to take her statement. He asked her to accompany him to the police station but instead took her to a hotel on Shyopur Road in Sanganer area, police said.
At the reception, Bhagaram allegedly introduced himself as a police officer and requested a room, telling the staff the woman was unwell and needed to change clothes. Once inside, he allegedly slapped her, gagged her with a towel, and raped her.
Initially afraid to report the assault, the woman later approached police Saturday evening with the help of local representatives. The woman’s husband said the attack appeared premeditated. “On Friday, my neighbour hit me with an iron rod and we both filed complaints with police. Three cops, including Bhagaram, came to investigate,” he said.
He said the constable called him the next morning, advising him to leave for work. “He told me police would be arresting my neighbour that day and if I was around, I might be taken into custody too. So, I left,” he said. With the husband gone, Bhagaram allegedly returned to their home in civilian clothing to confirm the woman was alone. He stayed briefly before leaving, only to call her later and instruct her to accompany him.
She grew suspicious when the constable took a different route but followed after he reassured her. After the assault, he called her again, apparently fearing she might report the crime, the husband said. The couple feared retaliation and avoided Sanganer police station, where Bhagaram was posted. “He told my wife that if she went near the station, he would ensure I was locked up and never see daylight again,” the husband said.
Instead, they approached Malviya Nagar police station, where senior officers intervened and an FIR was registered against the constable. Bhagaram had been posted in Jaipur for nearly two decades, serving at several stations before being transferred to Sanganer in Feb. Police said further legal action against him was underway.
(The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)
