Two held for circulating explicit videos of women linked to astrologer case

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Two men have been arrested and a manhunt has been launched for a third accused for allegedly circulating explicit videos of women linked to an ongoing probe against astrologer Ashok Kharat, the Ahilyanagar police said on Thursday.Police officers said an FIR has been registered at the Kopargaon city police station, and it is being treated as highly sensitive. They warned of strict action against anyone sharing such videos. According to the police, the videos are linked to victims in cases registered against Ashok Kharat at the Sarkarwada police station in Nashik. A special investigation team (SIT) is probing multiple serious offences against Kharat, and the police said the circulation of such material is hampering the investigation and violating the dignity and privacy of the victims.On Wednesday, the Ahilyanagar police had found that the videos were shared on a WhatsApp group named "BMW". During the probe, the police identified the accused as Rahul Shinde and Yogesh Adhav, both residents of Kopargaon, and a resident of Majalgaon in Beed district."Preliminary investigation indicates a chain of circulation of these videos. The videos were allegedly first sent by the Beed resident to Adhav, who then forwarded them to Shinde. The latter circulated the content further on a WhatsApp group," said Ahilyanagar superintendent of police Somnath Gharge.Based on the findings, police registered an FIR under sections 294(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with section 67(A) of the Information Technology Act, which deals with publishing or transmitting sexually explicit content in electronic form, said Gharge.Shinde and Adhav were arrested, while the whereabouts of the man from Beed are still unknown. "Multiple teams have been formed to trace the third accused, and he will be arrested soon," said deputy superintendent of police Amol Bharti.Police officers said the case could involve multiple victims and is being handled with utmost confidentiality. "We are taking extreme care to ensure that the identity of the victims is not disclosed at any stage. Any irresponsible sharing of such content will invite strict legal action," Gharge added.Authorities issued a strong advisory to people, social media users, influencers and media platforms, urging them not to share, forward or store such videos. Police clarified that even possession or circulation of morphed or AI-generated content related to victims would be treated as a punishable offence.Cyber monitoring units of the Maharashtra Police are closely tracking social media activity in connection with the case. Officials warned that group admins and individuals found involved in dissemination of such content would face arrest and prosecution.Bharti reiterated that legal action would be taken without exception. "We appeal to the public to immediately delete such content if they have received it and refrain from forwarding the same. Strict provisions of law will be invoked against violators," he said.