Silvester D'Souza

Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Jan 28: In an incident which occurred in the taluk, a person named Shashank, who was nursing enmity against another youngster over a fight that had erupted between the two several years ago, led a gang which blackmailed the youngster to pay a sum of ten lac rupees. Failing payment of the said sum, the gang threatened to sully the image of the victim by post a video tape showing him kissing a girl in social media websites.

It has transpired that the gang had succeeded in persuading a young lady into giving a missed call to the person concerned followed by cell phone messages. The youth was invited to a deserted spot by the girl when he responded, in the guise of striking friendship. Once there, he was forcibly made to kiss, and the gang recorded this incident. The youth was then blackmailed to part with ten lac rupees by threatening to post this video recording in social websites. It was later found that the leader of this gang comprising five youth and a lady happened to work with the victim in a hotel in Ramadurga a few years back.

Girish - Main accused

The youth in question hails from Kaltodu near Byndoor, and runs a small cashew factory at Ampar in the taluk. When he was working in a hotel in Ramadurga some years ago, he had a colleague there named Shashank. Shashank and the youth had a fight there after the youth opposed wrong deeds of Shashank, it is gathered.

Shashank, who nursed grouse against the youth, planned to force the youth into coughing up money. He got into touch with a girl from Basrur, and encouraged her to give a missed call to the youth's cell phone. When the youth did not respond to missed calls, she started to send messages. When the youth responded to messages, she expressed the desire to meet him personally. At her suggestion, the youth went to Herikere on B H Road in the taluk on January 21.

When the youth reached the spot, the lady was waiting for him. The moment the two came face to face, five persons, Shashank, Gireesh, Ramesh, Sandeep, and Gururaj suddenly appeared from nowhere and blocked both from moving away.

The gang then forced the youth to plant a kiss on the lips of the girl. Being helpless, the youth obliged them. One of the youth who claimed himself to be the brother of the lady, video taped the proceedings, and also clicked a few more photographs on his cell phone.Then the gang members threatened the youth to upload the recorded video in social websites, snatched away his cheque book and motor bike documents, and demanded payment of ten lac rupees. They said they would hand over the documents once the payment is made. The youth refused to fall prey to their tactics, succeeded in freeing himself from their clutches, and went away.

The next day the gang stopped him in the town, and repeated their demand and threat. Finding no alternative, the youth registered a complaint in the police station.

The police, who registered the complaint, plunged into action without delay. They succeeded in arresting two of the accused. It is gathered that three others have absconded. The police have continued with their efforts to nab the others involved with this crime.