Acting upon an FIR filled by journalist Barkha Dutt, the Delhi Police’s cyber crime cell has arrested four men including three from Delhi and one from Surat, for sending her objectionable messages and obscene images.
The four arrested are identified as Rajiv Sharma (23), Hemraj Kumar (31) and Aditya Kumar (34) from Delhi and Shabbir Gurfan Pinjari (45), a resident of Surat.
Dear @DCP_CCC_Delhi @DelhiPolice @CPDelhi – thanks for four arrests made for sexual abuse, death threat, stalking, nude pix & violence, Id like to underline you are yet to act against at least 10 other grave offenders. My statement before the magistrate is on record. Please Act.
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) March 20, 2019
Dutt in February had filled an FIR for online abuse, blackmail and sexual harassment against several people who sent her obscene messages and threats on WhatsApp after her phone number was circulated on Twitter in the aftermath of the Pulwama attacks.
“I appear to have been made a victim of some fake news propaganda and my number has been shared on all social media platforms. I have been sent nude pictures and sexually abusive text messages. I fear for my well-being, security and life as this is a coordinated assault by a violent mob,” Dutt stated in her FIR and wrote that one message had read “goli maar denge”.
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During the interrogation, it was revealed that the accused found Dutt’s number from social media where it was shared contact for ‘escort services’.
The FIR was reportedly registered under sections 354-D (stalking), 506 (threatening), 507 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 67 and 67-A (publishing or transmitting of material containing sexually explicit act) of the IT Act.
