Mumbai cop booked for 'raping' airline employee

A police sub-inspector, posted in naxal-infested Gadchiroli district, has been booked on charges of raping a 21-year-old wife of an Australian national working in an airline and extorting money from her, police said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Manoj Londe, was booked on the charges of rape and extortion following the complaint filed by the victim on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday in Vinoba Bhave police station in central Mumbai, police said adding that Londe was yet to be arrested.

According to the first information report, Londe also threatened the woman of posting some of the video clips of her taken in the compromising positions on the internet, police said. "The victim is an Indian national but she married an Australian," said Arunkumar Aaigal, senior inspector at the police station.

According to police, the victim had first met Londe about two-and-a-half years ago in Vinoba Bhave police station where he was posted then. The duo subsequently became friends and started having an affair that continued for over two years.

The woman claimed that Londe, who is also married, later started demanding money from her and also threatened of releasing the MMS clips on the internet if she did not shell out money as and when needed by him, said Vineet Agarwal, additional police commissioner.

After the threats, the victim started avoiding him. Even after he was transferred to Gadchiroli district over a year ago, he continued to blackmail her and forced her to have physical relationship, police said.

"The victim claimed that last week, Londe had come to Mumbai and beaten her up.  Subsequently, she complained to us. We enquired into the matter and lodged an FIR against the inspector," Agarwal added.