Uttar Pradesh: Shopkeeper accused for alleged sexual abuse, blackmail to extort money; FIR filed
Meerut: A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against a 37-year-old man in Uttar Pradesh for allegedly sexually abusing numerous children and young adults in a village and recording the act to blackmail them afterward for money.
According to NDTV, the suspect, who ran a local grocery store, has allegedly targeted customers who visited his shop. He is accused of offering the victims drinks laced with intoxicants, and then sexually assaulting them while recording the incidents. He reportedly used these videos to blackmail the children, threatening to make the videos public unless they paid him.
The FIR, registered under sections for unnatural sex, criminal intimidations, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, includes six victims, four of whom are minors. One victim described the incident, saying, "One day I had gone to buy something from his shops. He offered me a cold drink. I fainted after drinking it. He showed me a video he had recorded of me and demanded money from me. I told my mother about what had happened after a few days," as reported by the news outlet.
Families of the victims described the severe trauma their children have endured to NDTV. One mother revealed the devastating effect on her son, stating, "My son has stopped eating or drinking. He has gone quiet, he does not talk to anyone." Another parent shared that the abuse had been ongoing for nearly four years, but the village came to know only when a video of the assaults surfaced on social media. “He used to threaten to kill my son, he would put a gun to his head and demand money. When we suspected that money was missing from the house for a few days, we asked him but he did not say anything, he would just stay quiet. He would rarely go to school and would not eat or drink anything. Once, he tried to take his own life," the victim’s mother added.
According to the publication's report, the Kailash Satyarthi Foundation has taken note of the situation and has affirmed its commitment to fighting for the victims. "Our foundation will fight the legal battle against the accused and demand justice for these children," asserted Rakesh Sengar, Executive Director of the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation. Additionally, the police have stated that they are conducting raids at several locations to apprehend the accused.
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Fire at mass marriage event attended by Dy CM Shivakumar, nobody affected
Raichur (Karnataka) (PTI): Fire broke out near the stage of the mass marriage event that was attended by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar here, police said on Sunday.
Nobody was affected, and the fire was immediately put out, they said.
The fire was noticed shortly after Shivakumar and other dignitaries left the stage, and Forest Minister Eshwaran Khandre was speaking to the media at the venue in Sindhanur, officials said.
According to officials, wires, speakers, and cloth materials near the stage caught fire, allegedly due to a short circuit.
Police personnel present at the spot quickly swung into action and extinguished the fire.
The programme was halted for some time and resumed later, they said.
Several ministers, legislators and political leaders from the region, and actor Sudeep had attended the event.
