Vellore: Police nab man for blackmailing, raping woman for six years

VELLORE: Gudiyatham police arrested a 38-year-old man on charges of blackmailing and raping a 25-year-old woman for six years and attempting to sexually harass her younger sister.

According to police sources, six years ago, the accused -- V Yuvaraj of a village near Melalathur -- had videographed the woman's mother while she was taking bath. Ever since, he had raped her on multiple occasions by threatening to release the video on social media.

The survivor was a nursing student when he first threatened and raped her. She is now working with a healthcare institution in Chennai. Yuvaraj, the perpetrator, is her neighbour.

Meanwhile, the accused allegedly assaulted the woman's mother and younger sister last week when they resisted his sexual advances towards the latter.

Following which, the 25-year-old woman approached Superindent of Police (SP) S Selvakumar seeking action, and based on his direction, Gudiyatham All Woman Police inspector P Shyamala held inquiries and registered the case on Tuesday. Yuvaraj was booked under sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376 (rape), 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) and 4 (harassment) of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

The accused was produced before the judicial magistrate court in Gudiyatham and subsequently remanded in judicial custody at Vellore Central Prison.

In a separate case, Gudiyatham Town police registered a case against Yuvaraj under sections 294 (b) (verbal abuse), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt with dangerous weapons), and 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 4 (harassment) of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

According to sources, the victim's younger sister lodged the complaint alleging that Yuvaraj had attacked her and their mother with a knife inflicting injuries on their hand on November 13, when they questioned his attempt to blackmail and harass the 20-year-old.