Much-feted Borivli counsellor allegedly made videos of the assaults and threatened youngster who was consulting him
Accused Dr Sanjoy Mukerji
The Kasturba Marg police have arrested award-winning psychologist and marriage counsellor, Dr Sanjoy Mukerji, 57, for raping a 19-year-old patient on the pretext of treating her for depression. The survivor's parents approached the police on February 10, after she revealed the matter to a woman doctor, whom they visited when the teenager refused to return to Mukerji's clinic.
According to the complaint, Dr Mukerji [a PGDPC, PhD(Alternative Medicine)] had sexually abused the teen the first time she went to his clinic in Magathane, Borivli East, in July 2018. On the second visit, (September 2018) he made a video of himself raping her, and abused her again on the third visit. The fourth time in October 2018, he had unnatural sex with her by threatening to make the video viral on social media. Recently, when she refused to visit his clinic again, her parents took her to a woman doctor, to whom she revealed the matter. When the doctor told her parents, they approached the cops and filed a complaint.
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Police sources said that the woman is an only child and was studying in the second year of college. For the past couple of years, she had not been keeping well. Though her parents took her to a number of doctors and did several check-ups, nothing seemed to be wrong with their health physically. However, when a doctor advised her parents to consult a psychologist, they visited Dr Mukerji.
On her first visit to the clinic, her grandfather accompanied her, but he was told to wait outside. That is when the doctor first sexually abused her, as per the complaint. Though her father accompanied her on the second visit, he, too, was told to sit outside. This time the doctor not only raped her, but made a video of it as well, said a police officer. She was abused the same way on the third visit.
When it was again time to visit the doctor for the fourth time, she refused to go. Her father immediately called up the accused and said she was not willing to go.
Over the phone, the doctor allegedly threatened to make the video viral if she refused to visit him. The survivor got scared and went to the clinic, where he had unnatural sex with her as she was on her period. Recently, when she started to feel unwell, her parents decided to take her to Dr Mukerji again but this time she requested them to consult a woman doctor.
Dr Sanjoy Mukerji receives the 'Maharashtra Gaurav Award' for excellence in mind-body therapy from minister Nitin Gadkari
Senior inspector, Namdeo Shinde from Kasturba Marg police station, said, "A case has been registered against the accused doctor under Sections 376, 377 and 342 of IPC and Section 65(E) of IT Act. He was booked and arrested on February 11 and produced before court. He has been remanded to police custody till February 17." The survivor is currently undergoing medical examinations.
Another officer said, "The doctor had fled to Pune after the FIR was registered against him. When we got information that he had returned to Mumbai, we laid a trap and arrested him. The police have a provision to immediately arrest the accused in such serious cases."
Dr Mukerji was awarded as 'India's Best Psychologist' in 2016
3
No. of times the doctor allegedly raped the 19-yr-old
2018
Year the incidents took place (from July to October)
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