Mangalore: Blackmail and forced sex: Police inspect crime spot
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (EP)
Mangalore, Dec 23: Police are questioning eight people accused of kidnapping college students, forcing them to indulge in sex, shooting those scenes and blackmailing the students.
The police have taken the accused to the crime spot on Sunday December 22 and conducted investigations. The accused are Shamsuddin (23) of Suratkal, Shameer (21) of Deralakatte, Iqbal (23) of Deralakatte, Rauf (22) of Deralakatte, Nawaz (28) of Mudipu, Nisar (18) of Manjanady, Harshad (28) of Deralakatte, and Sharfan Hussain (21) of Deralakatte. All of them were arrested on Saturday, December 21. Among them, three are rowdy-sheeters
File Photo
The accused had allegedly kidnapped two college students when they were in a car near a restaurant in Deralakatte. The couple was blindfolded and taken to various places in the night. The duo was then taken to a desolate house near Suratkal, assaulted and threatened. They were then forced to indulge in sex and the scenes were shot in mobile phones belonging to the students. The group then threatened that they would upload the video on the internet and give copies to their parents and college principal if Rs 25 lac was not paid to them. The girl was released near a hospital at Thokkottu when the duo agreed to pay Rs 3 lac, with a warning that if she informed anyone, her male companion would be killed.
The girl lodged a police complaint through a lawyer and the police were successful in arresting the group.
It is alleged that one of the accused had attacked Konaje police inspector Sudhakar with a weapon while being arrested and a case of attempt to murder and stopping a police official from discharging his duties has been registered in Suratkal police station. It is said that the members in the group had derived undue pleasure by sexually harassing the girl and threatened to rape if the ransom was not paid.
It is suspected that groups such as these targeting businessmen and students are active in the district. A group in Ullal was arrested recently. A second group which had kidnapped a female student of a medical college from her residence was apprehended prior to that.
Though it is assumed that many such groups are involved in kidnapping and blackmailing, only a few of them are arrested. It is assumed that some businessmen and students have wriggled out of the situation by negotiating with the kidnappers' demands for ranson to avoid publicity. It is said that such groups operate from old unoccupied houses in Karnataka and Kerala border.
It is said that the groups have contacts with some college students who inform the criminals of the activities of some rich students. Sale of ganja also has become an activity of the criminals. Petty shops near colleges are said to be involved in sale of ganja.
Some criminal groups in the district are alleged to be supported by local politicians who pressurize the police to release them after arrests. Police are unable to question the alleged criminals thoroughly as some human rights groups create ruckus at police stations and demand that the detained be released. Excess propaganda in the media also creates obstacles to the police, it is said.