Mumbai cops invoke Information Technology Act against rape accused

Mumbai, Oct 26 (PTI) Police investigating the rape case lodged by a Mumbai-based woman has invoked Information Technology Act against the 26-year-old accused from Ludhiana, who is on bail, an official said on Saturday.

The accused was arrested in August after the woman accused him of raping her under the pretext of marriage. He was granted bail in September.

The forensic analysis of the mobile phone of the accused led to the discovery of objectionable videos of the victim woman, the official added.

Police have added sections 66E and 67A of the IT Act and 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in the FIR against the accused for allegedly recording sexually explicit videos and photos of the victim and blackmailing her to make them viral.

The accused allegedly raped the woman under the pretext of marriage in several hotels in Mumbai, Delhi and Ludhiana from January 2023 to August 2024, the official said.

The accused even performed "roka" (a pre-wedding tradition in Punjabi and Sikh weddings) with the victim and also got a hall booked for their "wedding", as per the FIR. The complainant stated that the accused reneged on his promise to marry her and started looking for a new "match" for himself.

The accused was held in Ludhiana in August. He was granted bail in September. Besides Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) sections, police also invoked the Dowry Prohibition Act, the official added. PTI ZA NSK