Influencer, gym trainer arrested for rape, filming obscene videos of 80 women in Palghar

A 22-year-old gym trainer and social media influencer has been arrested by Nalaspara police after a woman accused him of repeatedly raping her on the pretext of marriage.

The complainant, a 23-year-old woman, said that she met Arif Shaikh on social media in 2025 through his gym.

She said that he promised to marry her and pressured her to live with him. During this time, he allegedly forced her to have sexual relations with him repeatedly.

The complainant also alleged that she eventually found that the accused man lured about 70 to 80 women into relations and recorded obscene videos of them and sold them to pornographic websites.

She said that she found videos on Arif’s mobile phone showing him engaging in sexual acts with several women. She approached the local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena functionaries for assistance and lodged a complaint with the police on Monday night.

Police are investigating the allegations and examining videos recovered from his mobile phone.

Visal Valvi, a senior police inspector at Nalasopara, said that they recovered videos of some women on the mobile phone and were investigating the matter.

The woman also alleged that Arif and his mother pressured her to convert her religion and assaulted her. She also alleged that Arif’s cousin Sahil attempted to sexually assault her.

The complaint said that Arif used Instagram to target Hindu women. He would first establish a relationship with them and then record intimate videos without their consent.

A case was registered against Arif, his mother and his cousin under relevant provisions related to rape, wrongful confinement, assault and other offences, according to DCP Shashikant Borate, who spoke to IANS.