Sardarpur: Rajgarh police have arrested a man for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl and blackmailing her. Accused has been identified as Nikhil Gokhale, a resident of Sardarpur village. He has been booked him under Section 376(1) (sexual assault) of the Indian Penal Code as well as relevant sections of the Information Technology Act.
Rajgarh police station incharge Lokesh Singh Bhadoria said that girl and her family members in their complaint to Rajgarh police informed that the accused Nikhil committed a crime in the month of May this year during the lockdown. They claimed that the accused barged into the house and sexually assaulted a girl during night when she was alone. Accused even filmed the entire incident on his mobile phone and later started blackmailing her and demanding money from her family members.
Family claimed that the accused demanded Rs five lakh from them and threatened them that he will circulate this video if his demand is not fulfilled. Failing to extract money from the victim’s family, the accused circulated this video recently.
Fearing social humiliation, the girl and her kin decided to keep mum initially. However, they decided to take police help after the video went viral. On Monday, they lodged a complaint, and the accused was arrested from his place.
Bhadoria said that during preliminary investigation it was revealed that accused Nikhil has committed a similar crime in the past and has assaulted and blackmailed many girls and their families. Fearing social humiliation many of his victims have fulfilled his demand or have hushed up the matter by not bringing it in the notice of the police, he added.
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