Homes of men accused of ‘circulating girl’s obscene video’ razed in Madhya Pradesh, putting town on edge

According to the police, the girl met Rihan about three months ago.

“Many of the protestors have demanded that the two men be paraded in the street and their homes be demolished. Taking this into view, permission was granted to demolish illegal constructions in their homes,” Additional Superintendent of Police Hemlata Kuril said.

Investigators alleged that Rihan forced his way into the victim’s home with a knife when her parents were away, threatened her, and forced her to record an explicit video. Later, he allegedly showed the video to his associate Babu and the two men allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from the girl’s family to keep it private.

When the money didn’t come, the video was allegedly sent to the girl’s family and then circulated on social media.

“The family had paid Rs 2 lakh and the accused kept demanding more money and when they could not pay up, they leaked the video to the family,” Kuril said.

The alleged incident sparked protests, which right-wing groups eventually joined. Protesters called for a shutdown and demanded action against the suspects, who have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and the Information Technology Act.