VIJAYAWADA: The Task Force police have arrested five youths, including a 17-year-old boy (juvenile) for taking obscene films of college girls and blackmailing them.
The accused have been identified as Nimmakuri Sairam, P Deepak, Pasumati Abhilash Kumar, Sheik Munna and a minor boy.
Presenting four of the accused before the media here Saturday, commissioner of police AB Venkateshwara Rao explained the modus operandi of the youths. The accused sweet talked college-going girls and wooed them with gifts and bike rides. Once the girls fall for them, they take them to their rooms and shoot obscene videos with them. Sometimes it was recorded without the knowledge of the girls and sometimes with their consent.
Though some innocent girls entered this trap unknowingly, they are unable to come out of it fearing that the videos would be made public and their lives ruined. They did not even have the courage to inform their plight even to their parents. This helplessness of the girls made the accused bolder, the commissioner said.
All the girls belong to middle class or lower middle class families. After trapping the girls, the accused even demanded money and took gold ornaments from them. The entrapped girls were sexually abused in the past six months.
The police got wind of the gang’s heinous activities when a girl spilled the beans unable to bear their torture.
“As the future of the girls is at stake, the police maintained confidentiality during the investigation and arrested the accused. Cases would be booked under the Nirbhaya Act against the accused. We assume that more incidents like this might have occurred which have not come to light. If the victims approach us, we shall keep their identity safe and help them in coming out of the trap,” said Venkateshwara Rao.
The CP also urged the parents of young girls and boys to monitor their wards and know about their activities, friends and studies to avoid incidents such as these. He also urged the youth not to misuse the freedom given by their parents and spoil their lives. It is said that nearly 10 girls have fallen prey to the gang.
Deputy commissioner of police (Law and order) Tafseer Iqbal was present at the press conference.