After the initial arrests of two accused, the police on Tuesday apprehended the four minors who helped circulate the video.
Rape of minor (Creative Commons)
The Telangana State Police have arrested six people — including the 20-year-old son of former Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leader — for allegedly raping a 16-year-old girl and circulating the video on social media platforms.
The police identified the prime accused as Gurram Shyam, the son of the former president of the TRS Mandal Praja Parishad (MPP) of Sreepathipalli in the Warangal district, and his friend as T Sambaraju. They were arrested on Monday, 3 October.
“Apart from Shyam there are five accused, including four minors, who helped him in circulating the video,” Ghanpur ACP D Raghu Chander told South First.
The police apprehended the four minors, who were initially absconding, on Tuesday, and sent them to juvenile homes.
The incident comes at a time when the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) 30 September allowed four of the five minor accused in the high-profile Jubilee Hills gangrape case to be tried as adults, whereas the fifth accused — the son of an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA — would be tried as a juvenile.
According to the ACP, Shyam had been sexually assaulting the victim for around six months and recorded the act on his mobile phone.
He assaulted the minor multiple times on the pretext of love, but when a few days ago to she refused to give in anymore, he threatened her with consequences and shared the video on social media groups, said the top cop.
“His friends helped him spread the video,” Chander added.
The video spread through WhatsApp, and went viral in the Sreepathipalli village, home to both the victim and the accused.
After the victim’s parents and relatives came to know about the incident, they descended on the accused’s house, leading to a clash between the two families.
The cops rushed to the spot and arrested the two major accused — Shyam and Sambaraju — after an initial investigation.
“As the video went viral, the parents of the victim started questioning her and she explained the ordeal to them,” the ACP said, adding that a complaint was registered by the victim’s mother on 2 October.
The Jangaon police booked the six accused under IPC Section 376 (rape) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act.
“The accused have been sent to 15 days of judicial custody,” the ACP said.
Meanwhile, the police recorded the victim’s statement on Monday and shifted her to the local Bharosa Centre for medical examination.
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