Karnataka: College student arrested for recording, circulating obscene videos of women

Madikeri (Karnataka): A 21-year-old college student was arrested for allegedly recording and circulating obscene videos of women on social media platforms, police said on Thursday.

The accused has been identified as Mohammad Sawad, a BBA student at a Bengaluru college and a resident in Kodagu district, they added.

The matter came to light after M S Prasanna Bhat, president of the Kodagu Development Committee, received the alleged video clips on his WhatsApp number on January 21 from a resident of Napoklu, police said.

Bhat later filed a complaint at the police station, alleging the circulation of obscene photos and videos involving a young man and two women on social media platforms.

According to the FIR, the complainant alleged that the clips showed a man engaging in sexual acts with two different women on different occasions. The visuals appeared to be self-recorded.

He further alleged that the same obscene content had been circulated widely on social media platforms.

Subsequent verification revealed that the person seen in the videos was the accused student.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered on January 22 under Sections 79 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 294 (sale, etc., of obscene material) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. The accused was subsequently arrested, a senior police officer said.