Two lecturers of a private college in Karnataka and their friend have been arrested for allegedly raping one of their students by blackmailing her with some of her private videos and photographs, the Bengaluru police said.
Ramesh Banoth, Joint Commissioner of Police, East, confirmed the arrests on Tuesday, adding that the Marthahalli police were investigating the case of rape and blackmail registered against the accused.
The arrested accused are Narendra and Sandeep, both lecturers, and their friend Anoop, a resident of Bengaluru.
According to a police officer, the student was initially befriended by Narendra, who offered to share study notes with her and maintained frequent communication with her. When she visited Bengaluru for work, Narendra allegedly lured her to Anoop’s house in Marathahalli under the pretense of providing additional notes, where he allegedly raped her and warned her against revealing the incident to anyone.
Later, Narendra allegedly boasted about the sexual assault to his colleague Sandeep. Sandeep then allegedly began blackmailing the student, demanding sexual favours.
Anoop came to know about it and allegedly blackmailed her, stating that he had installed cameras and that they had captured videos of Narendra and Sandeep sexually assaulting her. Then he allegedly sexually assaulted her.
A police officer said that unable to endure the continued harassment, the student confided in her parents about her ordeal. Her family approached the Karnataka State Commission for Women for help.
Acting on the commission’s directive, the Marathahalli police registered a case of rape and blackmail against the trio.
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Nagalakshmi Choudhary, Chairperson of Karnataka State Commission for Women, said, “One after the other, they have blackmailed the victim and exploited her. There is Instagram and Facebook involved in the crime. While she was suffering with the trauma, after she informed her parents, they approached the commission. I request children to speak to their parents and they need to act or will be the victims of such traps. She is continuing her education and it is important for me to ensure she will do well.”