Ali Ghaffar, 23, of West Springfield pleaded guilty Thursday to sexually assaulting six women from June 2021 to March 2022.
The scope of his charges make it one of the most striking serial rape cases in western Massachusetts in recent years.
As part of a deal with prosecutors, Ghaffar pleaded guilty in Hampden County Superior Court to 30 counts, including charges of aggravated rape, assault, kidnapping and other related crimes in seven incidents. One woman was attacked twice.
Police and prosecutors alleged Ghaffar preyed on vulnerable women in Springfield, luring them into his car with the promise of money, drugs or rides. Authorities said he drove the women across a bridge to isolated areas of West Springfield, where he allegedly threatened the women and assaulted them before driving off, leaving the women behind.
Most of the attacks occurred in two places: Clark Field, near the West Springfield High School, and under the I-90 overpass by Bear Hole in West Springfield.
Police arrested Ghaffar on March 31, 2022 after detectives identified his car from a camera along the route he allegedly took in previous attacks. Investigators then followed him from his house as he picked up another woman in Springfield and drove to Bear Hole.
“In so doing, the team had stopped another rape before it could happen,” the Hampden District Attorney’s office said in a news release at the time.
Police also accused Ghaffar of two other attacks in which he has not been charged, according to a search warrant application filed in Springfield District Court. The documents show the victims in those attacks could not be located or declined to talk with police.
“His conduct was becoming more frequent and bold,” Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said in a news conference when Ghaffar was first charged with the crimes two years ago.
Gullini’s office did not respond to requests for comment Thursday. Ghaffar’s attorney, Dale Bass, declined to comment.
Prosecutors recommended Ghaffar serve 36 to 40 years in state prison, according to court documents. Ghaffar is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 14.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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