Man rapes teenager for a year, shares videos on WhatsApp; Two held

A man was arrested in UP's Noida on Wednesday for allegedly raping a teenager for a year and then circulating her objectionable videos on WhatsApp that were recorded by his friend, who too has been nabbed, police said.

The key accused, 26, had spiked the girl's soft drink last year and then raped her at her rented accommodation while his friend, 21, recorded the video of the episode, they said.

"The key accused used the video to blackmail the 17-and-half-year-old girl and pressured her into having sex with him for the past one year," a police spokesperson said.

The girl left for her native village at the onset of the coronavirus lockdown after which the accused men shared her objectionable videos on WhatsApp groups, he said.

"The accused also threatened the girl that he would kill her and her family members if she approached police to report the matter," the spokesperson said.

Police were alerted about the matter on Tuesday and an FIR was registered at the Sector 49 police station. The accused duo was tracked down and arrested on Wednesday, he said.

The FIR has been filed under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt using poison), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), police said.

Charges have also been pressed against them under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act, the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Information Technology (IT) Act, they added.