Rajkot: A 33-year-old married woman has accused a man she befriended on social media of repeatedly raping her, blackmailing her with objectionable photographs and videos, and pressuring her to convert her religion and marry him. The Rajkot City Taluka police have registered an FIR and launched an investigation into the allegations.
The main accused has been identified as a resident of Junagadh. According to the FIR, the woman came in contact with him through Instagram. The introduction was reportedly facilitated by an associate from Morbi.
The complainant told police that she was invited to meet the man at a hotel on Gondal Road under the pretext of friendship. After reaching the hotel, she was directed to a room where the main accused allegedly raped her.
In her complaint, the woman alleged that the abuse did not end there. She claimed that the main accused repeatedly threatened her, forced her to participate in religious rituals at different dargahs against her wishes, and used objectionable photos and videos to keep her under pressure. According to the FIR, she later discovered his real identity and severed contact, after which he allegedly threatened to circulate the material on social media.
The FIR also names three alleged accomplices: the woman from Morbi, a man from Ahmedabad, and another resident of Junagadh. The complainant alleged that they went live on social media and made defamatory statements against her and her family in an effort to force her to withdraw an earlier police application.
Police records state that the woman was so distressed by the alleged harassment that she attempted suicide about a month ago by consuming acid.
Rajkot City Taluka police have registered the case under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 64(1) and 64(2)(M) for rape, Section 351(2) for criminal intimidation and Section 61(2) for criminal conspiracy. Further investigation is underway.
