Second arrest in J&K's sextortion case

Srinagar, Oct 03: Police have arrested a person in a sextortion case in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, officials said on Monday -- two days after a "journalist" was taken into custody following a complaint of rape and extortion.

The second arrest in the case comes after Nadeem Ahmed Ganie alias Nadeem Nadu, "a self-proclaimed journalist," was arrested on Saturday from the south Kashmir district after a woman accused him of rape and extortion.

"Another person has been arrested in connection with the sextortion case," a police official told PTI.

The arrested person has been identified as Salman Shah, a close friend of Ganie, the official said.

Reportedly, Shah is working as a journalist in a local weekly newspaper.

The arrest was affected during the night after raids were conducted at a few places in the south Kashmir district, the official added.

According to the complaint, the accused lured the victim through his WhatsApp group made for people seeking help and forced her into a sexual relationship after sedating her fraudulently.

"Srinagar police arrested a self-proclaimed journalist Nadeem Ahmed Ganie @ Nadeem Nadu, a resident of Qazibagh, Anantnag, in a rape case on a complaint received from a girl," a police spokesman had said on Saturday.

The victim has also alleged that the accused took her objectionable pictures after sedating her and used these to blackmail her into forced sexual intercourse many times.

"The accused also took her gold ornaments in the course of blackmailing her. Pertinent to mention, the lady was a student in an institution in central Kashmir at the time of the occurrence of this crime," the spokesman added.

The police registered a case under various sections including 376 IPC (rape) in Women police station Srinagar and have constituted a special investigation team to investigate the matter.