Rajkot ‘stone killer’ survivor, aide arrested for sexually abusing two boys

Rajkot: A man who was once a key survivor and witness in the 2016 ‘stone killer' serial murder case has been arrested for allegedly sexually exploiting minor boys. Jayesh Majethia, who survived an attack by serial killer Hitesh Ramavat in 2016, has been arrested along with his associate Lala Patel following a complaint lodged at Rajkot A Division police station.Police said the investigation revealed alleged abuse over the past three months at a residential property within a school premises in Rajkot. According to the complaint lodged by the 50-year-old grandmother of one of the victims, Majethia, who ran a potable water supply business, allegedly lured two minors, aged 14 and 17, on the pretext of employment and exploited them.Police said the victims, both from Nepal, were allegedly forced into sexual acts on the pretext of employment. The complainant stated that her 14-year-old stepgrandson was initially hired to wash water jars, but the workplace later became a site of repeated abuse. The minor alleged that both accused assaulted him and his friend on multiple occasions and gave them small amounts of cash after the incidents.As the victims did not have formal birth documents, police conducted ossification tests at a civil hospital, confirming their ages to be between 14 and 17 years. Investigators are also examining videos of the alleged acts, recorded on mobile phones, that have surfaced on social media.Police said the accused allegedly threatened the two minor boys to keep them silent. The victims later stopped working for the duo and disclosed the alleged abuse to their family members on March 27.Police have booked Majethia and Patel under Sections 351(2) and 54 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with sections 6, 8, 12 and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.