SHILLONG, July 16: A 21-year-old college student, Jonathan L. Pachau, accused of sexually assaulting multiple young women, surrendered before the Officer-in-Charge of Laitumkhrah Police Station on Thursday after absconding for over a week resulting in a massive manhunt that spanned Shillong and Mizoram.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said the accused has been arrested and will be produced before the court.
Pachau is wanted in connection with Laitumkhrah PS Case No. 100/2026 registered under Sections 3, 4, 11 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
It may be recalled that the allegations against the youth, a student of a city college, first surfaced on social media in early July.
Viral posts featuring his photograph and an ultrasound report claimed he had sexually exploited several young college women and raped a minor.
Police registered the FIR at Laitumkhrah Police Station on July 7 on the basis of a formal complaint.
Though social media posts spoke of multiple victims, only one FIR has been registered so far.
Police had issued a lookout notice after the accused allegedly fled following the registration of the FIR and the social media uproar.
East Khasi Hills Police also formed a Special Investigation Team and coordinated with Mizoram Police after reports indicated he had crossed into his home state.
According to Syiem, the accused had been hiding somewhere in Mizoram before ultimately surrendering to the police on Thursday.
He had also switched off his mobile phone after the allegations went viral, making it difficult for the police to trace him, Syiem added.
Pachau, who hails from Chaltlang in Aizawl, Mizoram, is expected to be produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.
Police continue to urge other alleged victims to come forward and register formal complaints so that the full extent of the case can be investigated.
