A sessions court in Mumbai has sentenced a 42-year-old man to 10 years of imprisonment after finding him guilty of raping and cheating a woman he met on a matrimonial website. The accused, Jayendra Dattatray Moranjan, deceived the woman by falsely promising marriage, while also exploiting her emotionally and financially.
The court noted that Moranjan operated under multiple aliases, including Chetak Sudhir Bhavsar, Sachin Misal, and Rahul Ashitosh Patil-and was unemployed at the time of the crime. Despite being in custody since 2016 and having no prior criminal record, the court awarded him a decade-long sentence.
The survivor, a nurse and divorcee since 2014, had registered on matrimonial sites at her family’s urging. On June 18, 2016, she was contacted by a man identifying himself as ‘Rahul Patil’ who proposed marriage. The very next day, he visited her home, and the two expressed mutual interest in getting married.
Moranjan soon suggested a trip to Shirdi, citing an oath he had taken to visit the shrine of Saibaba with his future fiancee. The woman agreed, and they travelled that evening, also planning to meet her sisters in Nashik.
During their stay at a Shirdi hotel, the accused allegedly raped the woman multiple times. She did not report the assaults immediately, believing the marriage was forthcoming. Moranjan also told her that his sister would be flying in from the United States by July 28, encouraging the woman’s family to begin preparations for the engagement.
On June 23, the two met again to watch a film in Mumbai. During the screening, the woman left her purse with Moranjan while she went to the washroom. She later discovered her ATM card was missing, along with the PIN she had written on its cover. When confronted, the accused admitted taking the card, claiming he needed the money.
Later, on July 2, Moranjan took the woman to Nashik, where he allegedly raped her again. He then fabricated a story about his grandmother being bitten by a snake in Mahabaleshwar and abruptly left the woman at her sister’s residence.
Moranjan had told the woman’s family that he would be sending a vehicle to bring them to an engagement ceremony scheduled for July 5. However, no vehicle ever arrived.
By that time, Rs 1.5 lakh had been withdrawn from the woman’s account. She promptly blocked the card and confronted Moranjan, who responded with verbal abuse and threats, warning her not to approach the police. He then blocked her and her family members from contacting him.
The woman lodged a police complaint at Vile Parle Police Station on July 17, 2016. Moranjan was arrested shortly thereafter. A medical examination confirmed that the woman was pregnant, and she later underwent an abortion.
Moranjan had exploited at least four other women in a similar manner. Authorities recovered another ATM card belonging to a different woman from his possession.
In its ruling, the court took note of the psychological and financial trauma inflicted on the survivor. Though Moranjan had no prior criminal record, the court observed that his actions demonstrated a repeated intent to deceive and exploit.
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