Three days after the shocking rape of a homeless woman in broad daylight in Visakhatpatnam, the city police on Wednesday registered a case against the auto-rickshaw driver who provided video footage of the crime to authorities.
The Times of India reported that a case under IPC section 354 (C) (Voyeurism) and also under the IT Act has been registered against the auto driver and cops released him on station bail, after seizing his mobile phone.
Quoting sources, the ToI report adds that pressure from top cops in Amaravati had forced the city police to register a case against the auto driver.
After a video of the heinous crime began doing the rounds on social media, police arrested the accused, identified as Ganji Siva, who has reportedly been a habitual offender since he was a teenager.
This comes a day after Union Minister Maneka Gandhi lashed out at those who preferred to record a video of the woman being raped, rather than help her, and said that they should also be booked under law.
"Everybody here is culpable...the people who were thrill seekers preferring to let a woman suffer rather than help her. I am totally outraged by their behaviour...by the behaviour of the man who raped her and by the people who by doing nothing helped it happen," she told PTI over the phone.
Voicing a similar opinion Andhra Pradesh Women's Commission chairperson Nannapaneni Rajakumari told media persons on Wednesday that she would urge the police to use CCTV footage to identify passers by, who failed to help the woman.
"We will ensure that the accused receives stringent punishment for the act and also request Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to offer compensation ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh to the victim. This case should lead to awareness so that such incidents do not happen again,” she was quoted as saying.