A 16-year-old girl was held captive, her limbs tied, in a rented house in Nagpur and repeatedly sexually abused by a youth from Thane whom she had befriended on Instagram, police said on Wednesday (August 5, 2026).

Police broke open the door of the room in the city’s Dighori area around 11 p.m. on Monday (August 3, 2026) and rescued the girl. The accused, Nirbhay Pakhare, was arrested at the spot, officials said.

The minor from Nagpur went missing on August 2, prompting her family to approach the Hudkeshwar police station. Using technical information, police traced her location and rescued her, an official said. The girl has been admitted to a hospital, he said.

According to police, Pakhare created a fake Instagram account last year, identifying himself as “Akash Mehra”. He became friends with the girl, and the two started chatting. She also apparently shared her private photographs with him, the official said.

Police said the accused then started blackmailing the girl by threatening to circulate the photographs online. Out of fear, she allegedly continued meeting him. He allegedly sexually assaulted her at a hotel and later called her to the rented room in Dighori whenever he visited Nagpur.

A case has been registered against Pakhare under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and for kidnapping. The accused has been remanded in police custody for two days, the official said.

Police are also examining Pakhare’s mobile phones and social media accounts as part of the ongoing investigation, he added.