Internet ‘friend’ held for rape bid

According to the police,the victim is a 35-year-old doctor from the city. She came across a person identified as ‘Raj’ on a matrimonial website. She had lodged a complaint with the CCIC on February 3. Acting on her complaint,the cyber cell arrested the accused Sameer Parija (40) from Bangalore and brought him to the city on Tuesday. Parija has been remanded to police custody till March 9.

“Sometime in November 2007,the victim had logged onto Jeevansathi.com and came across the profile of one Raj,who claimed to be working on a World Bank project in Tokyo. She began chatting with him on the internet. Later upon his request,she sent him her photographs. He then allegedly sent her some photographs of a model claiming that those were his photographs. They both agreed to marry each other,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria.

The accused told the doctor that he was stuck in Tokyo for the project,and once he returned he would speak to his mother and arrange for the marriage.

“The accused then allegedly asked the doctor to send her nude photographs to him,to which she obliged. Later,he asked her to meet a close friend named Sameer Parija in Pune,if she wanted to learn more about him. On April 18,2008,she went to Pune and stayed at the Turf Club. Sameer met her and said his friend Raj had asked him to put her up at the Taj Hotel in Pune. The duo then went to the hotel and booked a room,” said Maria.

According to the Crime Branch,Sameer then came with a bouquet of flowers saying that they were from Raj. He also brought a bottle of liquor which the two consumed.

“They started chatting and drinking. The victim says that the drink was spiked and that after sometime she realised that Sameer was trying to take off her clothes and force himself on her. She created a ruckus following which he left the room. From the conversation she had with him,she also realised that Sameer and Raj were the same person. When she confronted him later,Sameer allegedly threatened to post her nude photographs on pornographic websites. The CCIC tracked him down to Bangalore and arrested him today,” said Maria.

Parija,who holds a bachelor of pharmacy degree and an MBA degree,drew an annual salary of Rs 17,50,000 from his employers. He worked in Pune,while his wife adopted a daughter and lives in Bangalore.

“We believe that he had duped other women in this manner earlier,and his aim was to blackmail them into doing his bidding by getting photographs of them. Further investigations are on in this regard,” said Maria.