BSP leader’s son arrested on rape charge

The victim filed a complaint with the police on Friday.

The 24-year-old son of a leader of the Bangalore unit of the BSP has been arrested for sexually assaulting a post-graduation student who was kidnapped by the youth and his friends on Thursday night. The youth has been charged with an offence amounting to rape under the recently-strengthened law against sexual offences. The 22-year-old victim was sitting in a car outside her home in Frazer Town with a male friend on Thursday night when she was taken away by the gang of youths posing as policemen. The main accused has been identified as Nasir Hyder, 24, the son of Bahaddur, a local leader of the BSP. He was nabbed after the victim’s friends tracked down the Skoda Fabia car and identified Hyder before calling in the police.

Initially, the police registered cases against Hyder and others for kidnapping and molestation but based on the complaint of the victim charges of rape under Section 376 of the IPC was also brought against the accused, said Joint Commissioner of Police for law and order (east) K V Sharath Chandra.

According to the complaint filed by the victim, Hyder was driving by late on Thursday when he noticed the victim who was being dropped off by her friend. Hyder and his gang approached them posing as plain-clothed policemen and forced the victim to come with them for an inquiry. One of the gang members held the victim’s friend hostage in his car while Nasir and the others took the girl away. Nasir sexually assaulted the victim as his friends drove his car around the neighbourhood. The gang demanded Rs 50,000 for the release of the girl and her friend but later snatched an expensive watch from the victim’s friend and dumped the couple at an isolated place, the victim stated in her complaint.

The victim filed a complaint with the police on Friday. Meanwhile, the victim’s friend spotted the car of the accused and called in the police.

Following questioning by the police, Hyder confessed to the crime and provided the names of his associates, the police said. A special team has been formed to track down the remaining accused, the police said.