SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: Since social media has become a daily destination for a majority of people, the wrong-doers are using these platforms as a weapon to commit the crime. A set of fear is created by making intimidating pictures public. Under this danger of leaking sexually explicit material, victims are made to do certain things at the perpetrators’ desire. Sexual exploitation is now becoming a global problem in all developed developing, and underdeveloped countries. Sexual exploitation is done in several different forms and sextortion is one such form evolving into grey area of laws dealing with sexual offenses. The offense of sextortion is not defined under any Indian statute or laws, hence, making it hard for authorities to combat this serious crime. Like other parts of country, Kashmir valley is becoming new hub for sextortionists. Teenagers, school-dropouts etc and their cunning masterminds run sextortion rackets that span across several countries. Police officers, politicians, businessmen, doctors have all fallen prey to their machinations. India witnesses more than 500 cases of sextortion daily (with less than 0.5 per cent registered as FIRs). Recently, Police has arrested a person in a sextortion case in Anantnag district. Officials said two days after a ‘journalist’ was taken into custody following a complaint of rape and extortion. Nadeem Ahmed Ganie alias Nadeem Nadu was arrested on Saturday from south Kashmir district after a woman accused him of rape and extortion. According to police statement, the arrest was affected during the night after raids were conducted at a various places. According to complaint, “Accused lured victim through his WhatsApp group made for people seeking help and forced her into a sexual relationship after sedating her fraudulently”. The victim has also alleged that accused took her objectionable pictures after sedating her and used the same to blackmail her. “Accused also took her gold ornaments in course of blackmailing. Pertinent to mention here that the victim is a student of an institution in central Kashmir,” a spokesman told. The police has registered a case under various sections including 376 of IPC at women police station Srinagar and constituted a special investigation team to investigate the matter. Members of civil society have appealed to the police to control the menace at an early stage before the situation went out of control. According to the experts, it has become imperative to take certain steps to curb this extensively growing crime. The need of the time is to ensure proper education, along with a specific legislation covering crime, and then only such damaging attacks could be deterred or at least lessened.
