A 20-year-old college student from Gujarat’s Banaskantha district was allegedly repeatedly raped by seven men over a period of nearly 16 months after being blackmailed with her nude video, police said on Wednesday.
According to the first information report (FIR), one of the accused, Vishal Chaudhary, befriended the student over Instagram months after she began attending a college in Palanpur in 2023.
In November 2023, Chaudhary persuaded her to join him for breakfast at a hotel. During the meeting, he deliberately spilled food on her dress and took her to a hotel room under the pretext of helping her clean it.
The FIR stated that when the student went to the bathroom to remove her soiled clothes, Chaudhary forcibly entered and recorded a video of her. When she protested, he allegedly threatened to make the video public and post it on Instagram.
Using the video as leverage, Chaudhary and his associates allegedly forced the student to engage in sexual activities with them at various locations between November 2023 and February 2025. The accused also threatened her with further exposure if she resisted.
Following the victim’s complaint, Palanpur taluka police registered a case on Monday against six identified individuals, including Chaudhary, and an unknown person.
The charges include repeated rape and criminal intimidation under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Additionally, the accused have been booked under Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which pertains to the publication or transmission of obscene material in electronic form.
“Efforts are being made to apprehend the accused persons,” an official said.
The investigation is ongoing.
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