WhatsApp rape videos accused sent to 7 days' police custody

New Delhi, March 26: A court here on Thursday sent a man arrested in connection with rape videos that were posted on phone messaging service WhatsApp to seven days’ police custody. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khagwal allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to quiz accused Kalia Sahoo alias Subrat Sahoo till April 2. He was presented before a court here at the end of his one-day police custody.

Sahoo was arrested from Bhubaneswar on March 23. The court allowed the CBI plea that Sahoo was required for interrogation and he will be taken to Bhubaneswar and other locations.

Quizzing him will also help in acquiring sources through which the video was uploaded on internet, the agency submitted. The probe agency told the court that Sahoo’s custody was required to learn about the place of occurrence, modus operandi, recovery of various articles and to apprehend his associates. Sahoo has been booked under various sections of the Indian Pel Code and Information Technology Act for violation of privacy and publishing obscene material in electronic form.

The CBI said the video clips of rape have been examined. There were nine different clips, it said. The CBI told the court that it has registered eight first information reports (FIRs) and one prelimiry enquiry (PE). The FIRs were registered on the order of the Supreme Court on February 27 directing the CBI to undertake an investigation into the videos posted on the popular app. The apex court order came after the videos were sent to Chief Justice H.L. Dattu by Hyderabad-based NGO Prajwala in a pen drive along with a letter. The letter did not give any details of when or where these rapes took place, or who the offenders were. (IANS)