Mumbai/Pune, March 2 (IANS): The Lonavala Police have arrested a former Congress corporator of Mumbai, Sunit Waghmare, for allegedly raping a woman on multiple occasions on the pretext of marriage, officials said here on Tuesday.

In her written complaint lodged at Bhoiwada Police Station in south-central Mumbai, the 28-year-old victim has claimed that Waghmare lured her to accompany him to Lonavala hill station (Pune district) ostensibly to discuss his divorce case with an advocate.

That was the first time Waghmare forced himself on the woman in November 2019, and he allegedly repeated the act multiple times since then while promising to marry her, the woman said in her police complaint.

Sunit - who is in the realty business - is the brother of Raju Waghmare, an official Spokesperson of the Maharashtra Congress.

"I am under pressure and now fear for my life If anything happens to me, then Sunit Waghmare and his brother Raju Waghmare shall be responsible," the victim told mediapersons here on Tuesday afternoon.

The woman said that she first met Sunit Waghmare when he offered her a job and started chatting with her over the phone.

Later, he allegedly proposed to her but she declined as he was already married and had kids nearly her age, but he claimed he was planning to divorce his wife.

Sunit Waghmare allegedly lied to take her to a holiday resort in Lonavala where he was planning to meet his lawyer to finalise the divorce procedure, and then raped her, she contended.

Despite repeated attempts by IANS, Raju Waghmare did not take calls, but his colleague and Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that Sunit (the accused) was removed for anti-party activities in the 2017 BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections and the party had no links with him.

Taking a jibe at the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for taking undue interest in the case, Sawant reiterated that Sunit Waghmare has no connection with the Congress.

Since the alleged offences took place in Lonavala, the Mumbai Police transferred the case to Lonavala Police for further investigation and necessary action, officials informed.

Accordingly, a team of Lonavala City Police Station arrested Sunit Waghmare here and produced him before a magistrate court which remanded him to police custody till March 5, said an official.