22-year-old Kolhapur student held for rape, blackmail using intimate videos

KOLHAPUR: The Hatkanangale police in rural Kolhapur have arrested a 22-year-old pharmacy degree student from a village near the city based on a complaint by a woman on Sunday accusing him of sexually exploiting her over the last two years, recording their intimate videos and photos and threatening to make public the same. The police are also questioning the student's friend (30) over aiding the alleged crime, after detaining him from Karad.Police said the complainant was pursuing her pharmacy diploma course at the same institution where the suspect pursued his pharma degree studies and the two knew each other since 2023. On Monday, the police produced the student before a court which ordered his custodial remand till April 29.Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Nilotpal Basu told TOI on Tuesday, "Another woman approached us today with a similar complaint against the arrested student. We are in the process of recording her statement and registering an FIR. We are verifying if the suspect has exploited other women in a similar manner and has seized his cell phone. The same has been handed over to forensic experts for analysis. We will seek a further extension of the suspect's custodial remand from the court on Wednesday."A police officer associated with the probe said, "A preliminary examination of the seized mobile phone indicated that no videos or photos have been circulated on social media and the same might have been deleted. The forensic analysis will help us retrieve deleted matter and reach a definitive conclusion."The student's arrest evoked a sharp reaction in the village as the villagers observed a bandh on Tuesday, demanding strict action against the perpetrator(s) of crime. A strong police team was deployed in the village to ensure against any untoward fallout. The village gram panchayat snapped water supply to the suspect's house, claiming that the same was illegal.BJP's Kolhapur South MLA Amal Mahadik, who participated in a protest meet in the village, said, "We will request Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to set up a special investigation team (SIT) to dig deep into this matter."Asked about the likelihood of an SIT, SP Basu said, "It all depends on the outcome of the ongoing investigation and if more complaints come to the fore."For now, the police have invoked charges under sections 64(2)(m) (rape) , 75 and 76 (both related to outraging modesty) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) besides sections 66(e) (violation of privacy by intentionally capturing, recording intimate moments) and 67(a)-transmitting obscene material (electronic form) in a lascivious manner -of IT Act 2000 against the arrested student.Initially, the Rajarampuri police station in Kolhapur city registered a zero FIR based on the woman's complaint and transferred the same to the Hatkanangale police as the alleged crime occurred in their jurisdiction. "The villagers have demanded strict punishment to the accused and also to those who helped him in the crime," assistant police inspector Sunil Gaikwad, who led the police deployment, said.(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)