SAU sex assault: Email Id used to send explicit messages to victim was accessed by friend

New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) Police have found that the email address used to send explicit and threatening messages to an 18-year-old South Asian University female student who has alleged sexual assault was being accessed by one of her friends, an officer said on Thursday.

The first-year BTech student, who lives in the varsity hostel, has accused four people, including a security guard, of sexually assaulting her on the campus premises. She was found injured with her clothes torn on October 13, a day after being reported missing.

An FIR was registered on Tuesday on her complaint, in which she alleged that she was sexually assaulted and forced to consume an abortion pill.

She also alleged that she had been receiving explicit and threatening messages from a person identifying himself as Aryan Yash through email and social media platforms in the days leading up to the incident.

Police sources said that technical analysis has revealed that the email address from which the messages were sent was being accessed from multiple devices, one of them being the victim's friend.

"The finding has complicated the investigation. We are now trying to trace and question the friend who had access to the same email account," an officer privy to the investigation said.

Meanwhile, CCTV footage collected from the campus did not show any suspicious movement or activity related to the incident, police said.

Investigators have questioned nearly 70 security guards and several staff members, including the hostel warden and caretaker. Statements from the victim's friends have also been recorded.

Earlier, students protested against university authorities, alleging negligence.

The SAU has set up an internal committee to investigate the incident and submit its report within 10 days.

The victim remains under medical care and counselling, police said. PTI SSJ VN VN