Amravati (Maharashtra), Apr 15 (PTI) Police have arrested a 19-year-old youth in Maharashtra’s Amravati district for allegedly sharing objectionable photos and videos of several women and girls online, officials said on Wednesday.
Rajya Sabha member Anil Bonde, who hails from Amravati, demanded a probe into the matter by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The accused, identified as Ayan Ahmed Tanvir Ahmed, a resident of Paratwada in Amravati district, was taken into custody on April 11 after obscene pictures and videos featuring him with some women and girls went viral on social media, they said.
Prima facie, the victims seem to be minors. The accused allegedly lured them, took obscene photos and videos against their will, and uploaded them on social media to defame the victims, the Paratwada police said.
The police have seized the accused’s mobile phone and are examining it for evidence, they said.
A case has been registered against the accused under Section 294 (sale, distribution of obscene content) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 8 (punishment for sexual assault) and 12 (sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and provisions of the IT Act, the police said.
None of the victims has approached the police in the matter, they said.
The police have appealed to the victims and their families to come forward and cooperate in the case, assuring them that their identities will be protected.
Strict legal action would be initiated against the accused, the police added.
Speaking to reporters, MP Bonde claimed that some other people are also involved in the case, and demanded a probe into it by the SIT and cyber personnel.
He claimed that a gang had created Snapchat and WhatsApp groups (for such offences), and said the police should seize the accused’s mobile phone and trace his conversations with associates. PTI COR CLS GK
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