Three arrested for raping, blackmailing BTech student in Andhra’s NTR district

The arrests came a day after the 19-year-old engineering student filed a complaint with Nandigama Rural police station

Vijayawada: Police in Andhra Pradesh’s NTR district on Monday arrested three accused for raping and blackmailing an engineering student.

The accused were presented before a court, which remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days. The arrests were made a day after the 19-year-old BTech student filed a complaint with Nandigama Rural police station.

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According to police, the victim was residing in a hostel in Paritala and doing her second year at an engineering college in Kanchikacherla in the NTR district. Those arrested and remanded to custody are Shaik Gali Saida, Shaik Hussain and Chintala Prabhu Kumar.

The girl was close to her classmate Prabhu Kumar and they often went to restaurants. Prabhu Kumar recently introduced his friend Hussain to the girl. After a few days, Hussain started pursuing her and took her out for lunch.

Saida, a painter who lives in the same area and is said to be a social media activist of the YSR Congress Party, also befriended the girl and told her that Hussain and Prabhu were bad characters and that she must stay away from them.

Saida invited the girl to a function at his house on January 12. When the girl reached his house, he was alone. He sexually assaulted the girl and took her obscene photographs and videos.

He later shared the same with Hussain and Prabhu. Using obscene videos and photographs, Hussain and Prabhu also started blackmailing the girl and demanding sexual favours.

Unable to bear the blackmail, the girl approached the police and lodged a complaint. Based on her statement police registered a case and took up an investigation. All three accused were arrested on Monday and produced in a court, which sent them to judicial custody for two weeks. The accused were subsequently shifted to sub-jail.