Over 100 viral videos, several minor girls: 19-year-old held in Maharashtra sexual abuse probe

By: Anil Jadhav

AMRAVATI/NAGPUR: A 19-year-old youth in Amravati district who reportedly filmed his sexual abuse of minor girls and blackmailed them with threat of making videos viral, was arrested on Tuesday and remanded in police custody till April 21.

The adjoining towns of Paratwada and Achalpur, 180km off Nagpur, were rocked by the scandal, which saw around 100 obscene videos go viral in which minor girls were reportedly seen under duress.

Accused Ayan Ahmed Tanveer Ahmed allegedly lured girls into relationships, then physically and sexually assaulted them while recording the act against their will. Police sources say the accused is visible in some videos, and they suspect another accomplice might have helped film the sexual exploitation.

A storm kicked off on Monday when Rajya Sabha MP Dr Anil Bonde and BJP state spokesperson Shivrai Kulkarni lodged a complaint with Amravati Rural SP Vishal Anand, alleging the accused lured several girls through social media and subjected them to sexual assault. They warned of a strong agitation if police failed to act.

With the accused in police custody, his phone is being examined for more information while the cyber cell has begun the process of removing videos from social media. SP Anand said, "Police are monitoring posts of those who downloaded videos and are recirculating it."

Cops added that no victim or family member has filed a formal complaint so far, fearing social taboo. SP Anand appealed to victims' families to come forward, assuring them of confidentiality, apart from the state taking care of legal and counselling services.

Amravati guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said even CM Devendra Fadnavis has taken note of the case. "I have spoken with DGP, since this is a big issue. There are many dimensions to this case, which cannot be mentioned in the media today. We will investigate and take action against the accused," Bawankule said.