<p>London: An Indian-origin man who was found guilty of raping two teenage girls he met online has been sentenced to nine years behind bars and added to the sex offender register for life by a <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/london">London</a> court.</p>.<p>Himanshu Makwana, 42, carried out the two offences four years apart with striking similarities, Harrow Crown Court heard as he was sentenced on Thursday. </p>.<p>The Metropolitan Police said Makwana was arrested following an investigation by its specialist detectives who discovered that he preyed on teenage girls on social media.</p>.Completely unacceptable: UK strongly condemns Jaishankar security breach in London.<p>“Makwana posed as a young man on social media in order to prey on young girls,” said Detective Constable Lewis Jelley, who led the investigation.</p>.<p>“He carried out a horrific attack on one woman, and then did the same thing again a few years later. He was brought to justice following a painstaking investigation,” he said, praising the “courage” of the two women who reported the offences.</p>.<p>The court heard that in 2019, Makwana used a Snapchat account to communicate with his first victim, who was aged 18 at the time. After speaking for a few months, they decided to meet when he drove her to an empty office block and, once inside of the building, he raped her, the trial heard.</p>.<p>The offence was reported to police at the time but no suspect was identified. In April 2023, Makwana again posed as a 19-year-old man on Snapchat and started speaking to his second victim, who had only recently turned 16. Shortly afterwards, he parked on a street close to the victim’s school and waited for her, before asking for her help.</p>.<p>“The victim agreed and helped Makwana carry some books. He then locked her in his car and identified himself as ‘Samir’, which was the fake identity he had used on Snapchat. He then drove her to an empty commercial premises and raped her,” the Met Police said.</p>.<p>Makwana was arrested on November 27, 2023, a day after the second victim reported the incident, with the help of an image captured by a witness which showed the car used in the incident. This enabled officers to locate the vehicle and arrest Makwana, the police stated.</p>.<p>Analysis of a DNA sample taken on his arrest identified Makwana as the previously unknown suspect for the offence against the first victim in 2019. He was then charged with the rapes of both victims in December 2023 and remanded in custody ahead of his trial this week.</p>.<p>After his nine-year imprisonment, Makwana has been ordered by court to serve an additional four years on extended licence under strict monitoring. </p>
<p>London: An Indian-origin man who was found guilty of raping two teenage girls he met online has been sentenced to nine years behind bars and added to the sex offender register for life by a <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/london">London</a> court.</p>.<p>Himanshu Makwana, 42, carried out the two offences four years apart with striking similarities, Harrow Crown Court heard as he was sentenced on Thursday. </p>.<p>The Metropolitan Police said Makwana was arrested following an investigation by its specialist detectives who discovered that he preyed on teenage girls on social media.</p>.Completely unacceptable: UK strongly condemns Jaishankar security breach in London.<p>“Makwana posed as a young man on social media in order to prey on young girls,” said Detective Constable Lewis Jelley, who led the investigation.</p>.<p>“He carried out a horrific attack on one woman, and then did the same thing again a few years later. He was brought to justice following a painstaking investigation,” he said, praising the “courage” of the two women who reported the offences.</p>.<p>The court heard that in 2019, Makwana used a Snapchat account to communicate with his first victim, who was aged 18 at the time. After speaking for a few months, they decided to meet when he drove her to an empty office block and, once inside of the building, he raped her, the trial heard.</p>.<p>The offence was reported to police at the time but no suspect was identified. In April 2023, Makwana again posed as a 19-year-old man on Snapchat and started speaking to his second victim, who had only recently turned 16. Shortly afterwards, he parked on a street close to the victim’s school and waited for her, before asking for her help.</p>.<p>“The victim agreed and helped Makwana carry some books. He then locked her in his car and identified himself as ‘Samir’, which was the fake identity he had used on Snapchat. He then drove her to an empty commercial premises and raped her,” the Met Police said.</p>.<p>Makwana was arrested on November 27, 2023, a day after the second victim reported the incident, with the help of an image captured by a witness which showed the car used in the incident. This enabled officers to locate the vehicle and arrest Makwana, the police stated.</p>.<p>Analysis of a DNA sample taken on his arrest identified Makwana as the previously unknown suspect for the offence against the first victim in 2019. He was then charged with the rapes of both victims in December 2023 and remanded in custody ahead of his trial this week.</p>.<p>After his nine-year imprisonment, Makwana has been ordered by court to serve an additional four years on extended licence under strict monitoring. </p>