Mumbai: A 21-year-old woman from Mumbai has come forward with a harrowing tale of alleged drugging and rape by a person she met and befriended on social media.
The woman chose not to reveal her identity while posting the distressing details of what she described as her "most traumatic experience" on Instagram. The accused, identified as Heetik Shah, and the victim had only interacted on Instagram before deciding to meet in person. The incident reportedly occurred on January 13, and is being investigated by the Worli Police in South Mumbai.
In her Instagram post, the woman recounted how what was supposed to be a casual night out turned into a nightmare. The evening began with the girl meeting and having drinks with Heetik Shah before they went to the restaurant Bastian.
The woman said she began feeling "intoxicated and anxious" after consuming tequila shots, and suspected that she may have been drugged without her knowledge.
"He insisted I drink more, and I had a blackout episode, not recalling what happened next. I suspect I may have been roofied," she wrote.
"Being roofied" is slang for someone being raped or sexually assaulted after being drugged.
She claims that she experienced a blackout episode and later woke up to find herself being raped by Mr Shah. Despite her attempts to resist, the accused allegedly continued the assault and even resorted to physical violence, slapping her three times with intense rage, leaving her frightened and intimidated.
The alleged rape happened at the residence of one of Mr Shah's friends, she said.
The accused, however, apologised to her for his behaviour the next morning,, but the woman said that the apology means nothing.
"His morning apology means nothing to me, and he has absconded because he knows what he has done. 12 days have passed and he hasn't been arrested," she wrote.
In the aftermath, the woman called her cousin for assistance, and despite being bruised and hurt, she initially refrained from informing her parents about the incident. It was only later, when her family discovered the truth, that she filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Mr Shah.
The police investigation in the case is currently on.