Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A PhD student from a technical institute in Jabalpur was allegedly raped by her friend on pretext of marriage.
The victim had met the accused named Abhinav Srivastava from Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on a social media platform in 2022, and their friendship gradually turned into a romantic relationship.
Later, Abhinav invited her to Lucknow and took her to his flat in Himalaya Enclave Apartment, where he sexually assaulted her. When the victim became pregnant, he tricked her into taking abortion pills by mixing them in juice.
After the abortion, he once again promised to marry her but later refused.
The victim, who is originally from Uttar Pradesh, had joined the Jabalpur institute in 2021 for her PhD. In 2023, Abhinav invited her on a trip to Nainital, saying that his friend and his wife were also going.
At first, the victim refused, but later agreed after Abhinav convinced her.
When she reached Lucknow in July 2023, he took her to his flat instead of leaving for Nainital. There, he raped her and then took her on the trip. In Nainital, he forced her to stay in his hotel room by making an excuse about his friend and his wife having an argument. There, he again sexually assaulted her.
Over time, whenever the victim traveled between her home and Jabalpur, she would meet Abhinav in Lucknow. In October 2023, he visited Jabalpur, took her to Bhedaghat and other places, and promised to marry her soon after speaking to his parents.
In November 2023, the victim found out she was pregnant and informed Abhinav. He first asked her to get an abortion, but when she refused, he called her to Lucknow, promising to discuss marriage. However, when she reached his flat, he gave her juice mixed with abortion pills, which led to the termination of her pregnancy.
When she argued, he again promised marriage and sent her back to Jabalpur.
A few days later, when she called him to discuss marriage, he insulted her and refused to marry. When she warned him about filing a complaint, he demanded ₹50 lakh dowry and later cut off all contact.
The victim then filed a rape complaint at Khamaria police station. Since the crime took place in Lucknow, the case has been transferred to Uttar Pradesh Police for investigation.
Police teams are searching for the accused, and further investigation is ongoing.
