In a disturbing case that has shocked Bhopal, a minor girl was allegedly raped inside moving cars by two men who then used a video of the assault to blackmail her.
The incident, which came to light in the Nishatpura area of Madhya Pradesh’s capital, shows a rise in the trend of predators threatening with videos to silence their victims.
Minor girl lured to the car under false pretext
The investigation into the Bhopal horror has led to the behind-the-bars capture of both men involved. The primary suspect, Ausaf Ali Khan, was apprehended by authorities on February 3 and has since been moved to jail.
Following his trail, the police tracked down his associate, Maj Khan, who is a local gym owner in the city. Maj Khan was arrested on February 8 and has been held in custody at the Kohefiza police station. His interrogation and remand period are scheduled to continue through today, February 13, as investigators work to gather more evidence regarding the blackmail and assault.
Minor girl filmed by the accused during the act
During the assault, the men filmed the act on a mobile phone. According to reports, they then used this video as a weapon and threatened to leak it on social media if the minor girl told anyone.
Over several days, they used the footage to extort money from the minor girl and continued to exploit her. The victim was so terrified of the social stigma and the threats that she initially kept quiet, however the continuous harassment finally became too much to bear.
Minor girl tells the family about the incident
The minor girl eventually told her family about the incident, who immediately took her to the police station. As per reports, the Bhopal police acted quickly, registering a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Recognizing the extreme severity of the crime, the Police Commissioner has officially formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to take over the case. This high-level team is being led by ACP Ankita Khatrakar, who is tasked with ensuring a airtight investigation.
As the SIT dug deeper into the victim’s ordeal, they uncovered a terrifying detail: the minor was not just attacked once. The probe revealed that she was allegedly assaulted at multiple locations across the city, with the predators moving her between four separate cars to carry out the crimes and avoid being caught.
Rising trend of “video-blackmail”
This incident is part of a worrying rise in “video-blackmail” crimes across the country. Recently in Indore, a similar case was reported where a group of men filmed a college student and extorted lakhs of rupees from her family.
In another case in Jabalpur, a minor was repeatedly assaulted by a neighbor who threatened to show a private video to her school friends.
