KOCHI: A rape case in the city saw a twist on Friday as the accused secured bail within 11 days of his arrest after convincing the court with "over 100 pages of WhatsApp messages" that the victim filed a complaint against him because he had spurned her demand for Rs 25 lakh.
The Elamakkara police station had registered the case in March, based on a young woman's complaint that Anand S (22) of Piravom, raped her after threatening her with her nude photographs. Subsequently, he was arrested on March 26.
However, when his bail plea was taken up on April 4, Anand convinced the Sessions Court here that there was more to what meets the eye in the case. He presented evidence to establish that the victim and he were having an affair for months, and she accused him of rape as he rejected her demand for `25 lakh for not approaching the police.
As per the police report submitted in court, the first incident of the alleged rape took place on September 14, 2021, when Anand took the victim to a hotel near Edappally, where he ripped her dress off and raped her. He allegedly captured the crime on his mobile phone.
Later, he threatened her with the photographs and raped her again twice in December, at hotels in Palarivattom here and Munnar. "We could convince the court by providing strong evidence," said Anand's counsel KV Sabu.
The advocate said over 100 pages of WhatsApp messages between the Anand and the victim were submitted. "We also presented WhatsApp voice messages that proved crucial in convincing the court," he added.