The accused, employed as loan recovery agents, used to target lone women and couples in secluded parks, secretly recording them to extort money, says the SP
Chittoor district police on Friday arrested three men in the gang-rape case of a minor Dalit girl at Murakambattu city park on September 25.
Superintendent of Police Tushar Dudi said the accused targeted women and couples in secluded parks, filming them to extort money. In some cases, they also resorted to sexual assault.
On September 25, the trio, Mahesh (21), Kishore (31), and Hemant Prasad (27), all residents of Chittoor and working as loan recovery agents in a private firm—attacked a girl and her friend, both students, at the park. They assaulted the duo, robbed them of valuables, injured the boy, and raped the girl. The incident came to light on September 29, when the victim lodged a complaint at the Chittoor Taluk Police Station. Cases were filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the POCSO Act, and the SC/ST (POA) Amendment Act, 2013.
Special teams tracked the absconding accused across Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, and Bengaluru. Acting on a tip-off, police apprehended them at an isolated spot on the outskirts of Chittoor and seized their mobile phones. The accused were paraded from the AR Grounds junction to the Chittoor court complex, drawing crowds along the roadside, before being remanded to the sub-jail.
The SP directed the Forest Department to strengthen security in isolated parks, install CCTV cameras, and coordinate with the police to prevent such crimes.
K. Umashanker
Courtesy : The Hindu
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