Youth arrested for harassing women online

Victim contemplating suicide reports her case to Nalgonda SHE team

The SHE team police of Nalgonda on Tuesday arrested a man in his late 20s, who had been allegedly gathering phone numbers of young women, making video calls in the nude and used the content to solicit sex under the threat of posting it on social media.

His latest victim, a home care nurse, who was vexed to the point of attempting suicide, reported her ordeal to the local SHE team here, which led to his arrest. Superintendent of Police A.V Ranganath, who briefed the press on the arrest, said interrogation revealed that there were some 30 such victims spread in Jangaon, Khammam, the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

Parsa Akhil alias Chandu, 28, hailed from Chennaraopet in Warangal. While working as a ward boy at a home care centre in Secunderabad, he collected phone numbers of the nurses, and through them got the contacts of their female friends. “Like the Nalgonda victim, he used to chat with women on WhatsApp, and offering surprises, he would make video calls in the nude. Then threats to post the chats, videos and victims’ numbers on obscene sites starts,” he said.

In the past several incidents, none of the victims reported their case to the police, Mr. Ranganath said. The 23-year-old victim’s complaint exposed the accused’s several acts of sexual cyber bullying and impersonation of social media accounts, among others, only now, he said.

According to the police, the youth was earlier booked for crime relating to women at Thukaram Gate and L.B. Nagar police stations and SHE team stations in Secunderabad. He was even bound over by Jangaon tahsildar once for his objectionable behaviour towards women.

Mr. Ranganath and Addl. SP Narmada stressed that reporting of cases to the police or the SHE teams remains as important as awareness about the violation.

“Setting display pictures, sharing calls, photos and videos with strangers should be avoided. Harassment and objectionable behaviour must be reported over 100 helpline without any hesitation. Women should not suffer in silence for any reason,” they said.