AAP city president arrested on allegations of rape

Vadodara: The arrest of AAP’s Vadodara city unit chief Ashok Oza on rape and blackmail charges triggered a political storm, as police probe fresh allegations of repeated sexual assault, coercion and threats — the second offence registered against him within four days.

City police arrested Oza on Tuesday after a 40-year-old woman filed a complaint at Kapurai police station, accusing him of rape, intimidation and blackmail. She has also named his family members in the case.

“The woman filed a complaint of rape, threatening and blackmailing, following which we arrested Oza,” a police official said.

According to police, the complainant, who is also associated with AAP, alleged that she met the accused a few years ago when he offered to help her family. “The complainant alleged that Oza promised to get her husband a job and began exploiting her,” police said.

The woman alleged that Oza raped her multiple times at different locations. She alleged that he first called her home, intoxicated her and raped her. She further stated that he later took her to places including Kashmir and Mumbai, where he raped her in hotel rooms.

Police said the complainant alleged that the accused took her explicit photographs and videos and used them to blackmail her.

“She stated that Oza’s son Anand also allegdly raped her by threatening to circulate compromising photos of her. Oza’s wife and daughter have been accused of threatening and harassing her,” a Kapurai police official said.

This is the second case filed against Oza in recent days. On May 30, Anand police booked him for allegedly impersonating an Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer and threatening an AAP worker over the phone.

The case stemmed from a May 28 social media post by former Delhi MLA Durgesh Pathak, who alleged on X that Gujarat Police’s IB wing was threatening AAP workers. The post was later reposted by AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal.

During the probe into the mobile number cited in the post, police was traced to Nitin Dhiru Dobariya, a labour contractor from Virpur in Rajkot district, currently living in Anand. Investigators said Dobariya allegedly acted at the behest of Oza, with whom he had prior business links.

Police said further investigation is underway in both cases.