Mangaluru police on Saturday, March 27, arrested three Muslim youth for sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl. The accused have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The arrested accused are Mohammed Muneer (21), a resident of Polali, and Taswin (28) and Sadiq (20) from Kaikamba. As per reports, Mohammed Muneer is the main accused in the case. Muneer is a driver by profession. All three have a criminal history.
According to the police, the accused Muneer befriended a minor girl from the neighbourhood and took her mobile phone number. He later forced her to share her nude photos and videos with him. After she shared it with him, he started to blackmail her to have a physical relationship with him and threatened to upload her photos and videos on social media if she refused.
The complainant and her parents registered a police complaint in the women’s police station, and the accused were arrested by the police.
Several such gangs are active, says police official
“The modus operandi of the accused is to get the mobile numbers of girl students and females whose husbands are working overseas. They initiate conversation and roam with them in cars and use them for sex. The gang records video of the sexual act they perform with the girls and use it to blackmail the victims. Locals say that many such groups are active in the Gurpura-Kaikamba region,” Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar said.
Many girls and women offer them gold ornaments and cash in order to prevent the accused men from uploading their videos on social media.
“In the preliminary investigation, we have come to know that there is a big network operating in this case as they target girls, under the pretext of friendship, and then sexually harass the girls. So we suspected more girls being victims of sexual harassment, so I urge victims to come forward and share information,” he added.
Locals in the area expressed concern that the girls are getting duped by these gangs of youths, who wear fashionable clothes and drive luxurious cars that they do not even own. Locals say that these gangs are influential and have connections to people with political clout.
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