Palghar, Dec 5 (PTI) A 22-year-old man has been arrested from Bhayandar in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for allegedly raping a minor girl whom he had befriended on social media and making her pictures viral, police said on Tuesday.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Madan Ballal said the accused, identified as Vishwanath Bhagat, and the girl became friends after coming in contact with each other on social media between June 2022 and November 2023.

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As per the complaint lodged with the police in November, Bhagat allegedly raped the girl and made her photographs viral when she broke up with him, police said.

A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act.

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Bhagat has been on the run for the last one month after he came to know that an FIR was registered against him and kept changing his locations.

The investigation was taken over by the central crime unit of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) Police which tracked down Bhagat's location in Uttan town in Thane district and arrested him on December 1.

Further investigation is underway.

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