Pramesh S Jain
The Amruthahalli police have arrested a total of five accused, including the son of a politician,in connection with the recent rape case of a student in a villa.
Diction Sandro (21)from West Bengal and Nikhil (34) from Sakleshpur were earlier arrested on charges of raping a student of a private college.
Based on the information given by them,Shravan (21) from Shivamogga,Anirudh (33) from Davangere and Mohit Jain (23) from Gujarat have been arrested on charges of indirectly aiding and abetting the crime, officials said.
Ex-corporator’s son’s arrest:
Among the arrested accused,Anirudh is said to be the son of a former member of the Davangere Municipal Corporation.He is a friend of the main accused Nikhil and is accused of booking the villa.
Anirudh,who is a contractor,was earlier issued a notice to appear for questioning.Anirudh was issued a notice to question him in connection with booking the villa,the place where the alleged rape took place.After the questioning,Anirudh and two others were arrested for further investigation,officials said.
Further Investigations into the gang rape case stepped up after the police stumbled upon the information that the accused had organized many parties to lure girls blackmail them with the videos to force them entertain his clients .
The parties according to the sources had fancy names such as“sugar daddy”party network has come under the scanner in connection the police suspecting a wider racket involving blackmail and exploitation of young women.
Police have arrested Nikhil,a resident of Basaveshwaranagar,who is accused of organising exclusive Villa parties under the guise of “sugar daddy–sugar baby”arrangements.The case pertains to the alleged sexual assault of a young woman at a rented villa in Jakkur.
The villa,sources said,belongs to a senior IPS officer and had been rented out through an online air BNB platform.
While the property was listed online,it was allegedly booked by Nikhil for hosting private parties.
In a significant development,Nikhil had reportedly approached Malleswaram police station before his arrest and filed a complaint against the survivor and another person,accusing them of blackmail and defamation.
During the complaint process,he is said to have submitted certain photographs stored on his mobile phone as evidence.
However,police said Nikhil has now claimed that his mobile phone has been given for repair.Investigators have seized mobile phones of five accused persons and are examining WhatsApp chats and call records to establish the sequence of events and identify other possible victims and participants.
Modus Operandi Under Scanner
According to preliminary investigation,the accused allegedly organised parties branding them as“sugar daddy”events,where young women below 25 years were tagged as“sugar babies”and men above 45 years as “sugar daddies,”with coded passwords used for entry.
Police suspect that the accused allegedly lured young women with promises of money,gifts and luxury experiences.
In certain cases,investigators believe drinks may have been spiked,followed by sexual assault.The accused allegedly recorded photos and videos of the acts and later used them to blackmail victims for money.
Sources indicate that parties were also hosted in reputed city hotels apart from the Jakkur villa.Police are collecting details of previous events and verifying how many such gatherings were organised.
Commissioner Monitoring Probe
The case is being taken seriously by the city police commissioner,who is personally monitoring the investigation.
So far,statements of seven witnesses have been recorded,and further inquiry is underway to uncover the full extent of the alleged racket.
Investigators are also examining how many mobile devices were used by the accused and whether others were involved in facilitating bookings, logistics and guest coordination.
Police said the probe is progressing on multiple angles, and more arrests are likely based on digital and forensic evidence.
