Karnataka - Bijapur   

Police investigate blackmailing case

Staff Correspondent

Two women and a 15-year-old girl were allegedly confined and threatened

BIJAPUR: The city police on Tuesday launched an investigation into the case of a five-member gang of two policemen and a photographer allegedly blackmailing some women in Bijapur.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, B.T. Chavan told the Hindu that the Gol Gumbaz Circle Police had been asked to investigate the case and the alleged involvement of two constables.

The measure came after Karnataka State Human Rights Council, an NGO, took up the issue with Superintendent of Police, Seemanth Kumar Singh.

The council submitted a memorandum to Mr. Singh on behalf of the two women and a 15-year-old girl, who had allegedly been blackmailed by the gang.

According to a letter from the secretary of the council, Hashimpeer Walikar, Suresh Patroti and Anil, constables, Devaramani, a city-based photographer, and two others entered the house of Shrishaila Kshatri in Kanakadasa Badavane here at around 8 p.m. last Friday. Only his wife Rekha was at home at that time. They accused her of running a brothel and asked her to entertain them. When she cried for help one of her neighbours, Kusuma Vathar rushed there with her niece Shoba, a highschool student.

The gangsters confined them inside the house and they threatened the women of dire consequences. Notwithstanding the resistance they undressed the women and took photographs.

Demanding money

They allegedly threatened to publish the photographs in the media if they revealed the incident. They started calling Rekha from the following day seeking Rs. 80,000 for the negatives and their nude photographs.

The victims have also noted the registration number of the vehicle (MH 13/AC 8585), used by the accused, and given it to police authorities.

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Police investigate blackmailing case

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