Singer Rahul Jain rape case: Cops launch manhunt for absconding music director

MUMBAI: Sources at the Oshiwara police station Wednesday night informed this reporter that they have launched a massive manhunt for the absconding singer and music director, Rahul Jain who is accused of rape by a 30-year-old costume designer and stylist.

FIR No. 1244 dated 11th August 2022 was registered under IPC sections 376 (rape), 323 (causing bodily harm), 504 and 506 (giving of threats to cause bodily harm) against the popular singer by the Oshiwara police in suburban Mumbai. ALSO READ: Singer Rahul Jain denies rape allegations, says victim is “planted”

Jain was not available at his residence at a high-rise tower in Lokhandwala when the police visited the place. In spite of attempts to locate and trace him, he is not available in Mumbai, police said.

Senior Mumbai police officials are miffed at the way Jain gets tipped off in advance and has been able to give the cops the slip on two occasions.

In a similar incident about a year ago, Jain managed to get away from his home and leave Mumbai, even before the police got to his residence.

ALSO READ: Mumbai Sessions court rejects singer Rahul Jain’s anticipatory bail application in rape case

In fact, the Addl. Commissioner of Police had ordered a reinvestigation into how Jain managed to elude the police and succeeded in obtaining anticipatory bail before he could be arrested. The victim complainant had alleged collusion between the Oshiwara police station officials and the accused, stating that the police were helping Jain.

This is the second FIR for rape to be registered against Jain in the last 12 months. Earlier, in 2021 a lyricist who was in a live-in relationship with Jain filed an FIR, alleging that Jain had sexual relations with her on the pretext of marriage for nearly 3 years and then dumped her when she insisted on getting married.

She had alleged in her complaint that Jain forced her to abort her pregnancy twice and the third time she became pregnant, Jain again forced her to abort, but she could not as the doctors said there was a threat to her life if she went in for a third abortion.

She also alleged that Jain did not return a sum of Rs 20 lakh, which was taken from her as a loan, instead threatened her and threw her out of his house.

In this case, Jain was able to secure anticipatory bail from the Sessions Court at Dindoshi, alleging that the relationship was consensual and the complainant filed the case only to recover the Rs 20 lakh and extort more money from him.

However, the top brass in the Mumbai police is extremely angry at the way Jain manages to get wind of the FIR in advance and give the cops the slip every time, even before the police can lay their hands on him.

This time, senior police officials have ordered the formation of three special teams to track down Jain and digital and technical surveillance and tracking has been initiated, sources said.

Meanwhile, Jain claimed the allegations and complaint of the costume designer is baseless and he has never met the complainant, nor has he messaged her on Instagram as alleged by her. He termed the case as “planted”. (Read Here)

A family member told this reporter: “This is a totally fake case. We have complete faith in the law and the courts. He will get relief from the court,” the source said, adding that the first complainant victim and the second complainant are associates and connected and known to each other.

When contacted by PTI, Jain told the news agency, “I don’t know this woman. The allegations raised by her are fake and baseless. Last year too a woman made similar allegations against me, but I got justice. This woman may be an associate of that woman and the two are trying to extort money from me,” Jain said.