The police arrested Dr Rahul Samarpal Singh Deshwal (30), who belongs to Haryana, on Tuesday. The charges booked against him include criminal intimidation, sedating the victim and harming her with the intent to commit an offence and recording obscene images.

“We have registered a case of rape against Deshwal. We have sealed his room and have seized his laptop, cellphone and pen drive from his hostel room and have sent them for screening. Deshwal arrived in Mumbai six-seven years ago and has been serving as a resident doctor at St George Hospital. The crime has been repeated over the past seven to eight months,” said senior inspector Sanjeev Kokil of MRA Marg police station.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone I, Vishwas Nangre Patil said according to the victim’s statement, Deshwal had forced her to consent by blackmailing her with the obscene pictures. “In her complaint, the victim alleged that Deshwal had mixed a sleep-inducing substance in her drink last year and took obscene pictures of her while she was intoxicated. The accused then allegedly blackmailed her with those pictures and raped her several times over the past few months. He had allegedly promised to marry her and thereby forced her to remain silent about the rape.”

According to the police, Deshwal was preparing for his Masters in Orthopaedics and was writing his exams. Deshwal’s father is reportedly a farmer in Haryana and the doctor was planning to go back home after completing his exams, Kokil said. The victim might have feared that Deshwal will flee after his exams and thus go scot-free; and hence lodged the complaint, they said.

Representatives of St George Hospital confirmed that Deshwal was working as a resident doctor there. “Deshwal was studying for his exams at one of his friend’s hostel room at St George Hospital since his room at JJ Hospital was too cramped. He was taken to the police station today after he gave his exam,” Resident Medical Officer Dr Ulhas Vasave said.