CBI registers 8 cases in rape video surfaced on social media, arrests 1
CBI announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information on suspects
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-03-25 08:04 GMT
New Delhi: The CBI has registered eight cases to probe videos of rape of two women that were shared on social media. The agency on Monday also arrested a property dealer Subrat Sahu alias Kalia from Bhubaneswar who has purportedly figured in one of the nine video clips handed over to the agency for probe by the SC. The Supreme Court had taken suo-motu cognisance of a letter written by Hyderabad-based NGO to Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu. The NGO has also annexed nine videos of separate sexual offences being circulated on social media in a pen drive. The apex court had ordered CBI to start probe in the cases.
The Supreme Court had asked the CBI to probe the cases of two rape videos that had surfaced on social media. The time and place of crime, identity of victim and offenders are not clear in any of the cases. Sources said, Sahu has been arrested in the case where two males and a woman are seen engaged in sexual act in an old video clip.
Talking to reporters CBI press information officer R.K. Gaur said, “The agency has also announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for information on suspects who appear in the nine video clips being probed by the agency. There are nine suspects, the photographs of whom have been sent to DGPs of all the states”.
Sources said the case has been registered on charges of common intention, propagating obscene material and assault to woman with intent to outrage her modesty under provisions of Indian Penal Code besides provisions of Information Technology Act related to violation of privacy and publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.
Besides this case, the agency has registered six FIRs of alleged gangrape and one FIR of rape while a preliminary enquiry has also been registered. The agency has also invoked Sections of abduction.
“Details of the case will emerge during the custodial interrogation of the arrested person, but it is suspected that the alleged sexual act appeared to have taken place in Bhubaneswar somewhere around 2010”, sources said. “We are yet to establish the identity of the victim, location of the crime, date of the crime which will be possible during the custodial interrogation,” they said adding that these are blind cases of viral videos of sexual offences taking place at unknown locations by unknown persons.