Mumbai: A 27-year-old French tourist was allegedly molested in Khar on November 8, prompting swift action from the Khar police, who arrested the accused within 24 hours.

The complainant, who was staying in Bandra West, was walking along a road in Khar West around 9 pm when an unknown man on a two-wheeler stopped near her and molested her. She filed a complaint on Saturday, after which the police registered a case under Section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Given that the victim is a foreign national, the police formed special teams to trace the accused. After examining CCTV footage, conducting technical analysis, and acting on information from an undercover informant, the police arrested Sunil Vaghela, 25, a resident of Dharavi. The two-wheeler used in the crime has also been seized.

Bengaluru, Nov 17: A shocking incident of a 57-year-old woman techie losing Rs 31.83 crore to cyber crooks after being trapped in a digital arrest for more than six months has been reported from Bengaluru.

The police have launched a hunt to bust the gang following a complaint lodged at the East Cyber Crime Police Station in Bengaluru, officials said on Monday.

The victim transferred Rs 31.83 crore in 187 transactions. She exhausted all her savings and deposits except for her fixed deposits. The accused had assured her that she would get her money back by February after verification, but kept postponing the date on one pretext or another. Police sources claim that this is one of the biggest digital arrest cases reported in Karnataka.

Growing suspicious, the victim lodged a complaint with the cybercrime police on November 14. She stated that due to her son’s marriage ceremony and other reasons, she had delayed filing the complaint.

According to the police, the cybercriminals kept the victim under digital arrest for more than six months and severed contact after extorting a huge amount.

Her ordeal began on September 15, 2024, when she received a call from a person claiming to be from a reputed courier company, who said that a package in her name — containing three credit cards, four passports, and banned MDMA — had been received at a courier centre in Andheri, Mumbai.

The victim told the caller that she lives in Bengaluru and knows nothing about the package. He then told her that since the package was linked to her mobile number, it could be a case of cyber fraud, and she needed to lodge a complaint. Before she could react, he connected her call to another person who claimed to be an officer from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The accused ensured that she did not contact the police helpline or seek legal assistance by convincing her that she was being monitored by cybercriminals. Later, they issued direct threats, saying that if she shared the information, they would implicate her entire family in the case.

As her son’s wedding was approaching, she succumbed to the pressure and acted as per their instructions. The accused later contacted her through Skype video, identifying himself as one Pradeep Singh. He informed her that for a week, another associate named Rahul Yadav would monitor her. She was restrained at home during this period. The accused opted for work-from-home and stayed in her residence.

On September 23, 2024, the accused asked the victim to declare her properties to the Reserve Bank of India’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). After she declared her assets and cash, the accused extorted money from her in stages. They even issued her a fake clearance certificate.

Further investigation is underway.

Kannur, Nov 15: In the case involving the sexual assault of a Class 4 girl at Palathayi in Kerala’s Kannur, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and teacher K. Padmarajan, on Saturday, has been sentenced to life imprisonment along with fines.

He has also been awarded 40 years of imprisonment under POCSO charges.

The sentence was delivered by the Thalassery Fast-Track POCSO Court.

The court had found Padmarajan guilty on Friday.

The offences proved against him carry punishments ranging from a maximum of 20 years to life imprisonment.

The case had triggered political controversy because the investigation team was changed five times and the interim charge sheet did not include POCSO sections.

Charges against the accused included Section 376AB (rape), and offences under the POCSO Act.

Padmarajan was found guilty of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl inside and outside her school at Palathayi in Kannur, on three occasions between January and February 2020.

The complaint against the teacher was handed over to the Thalassery Deputy Superintendent of Police by the Panoor Police.

The initial police investigation had concluded that the complaint was false.

However, there was strong public protest over the failure to act against the accused.

On April 15, 2020, Padmarajan was arrested from a relative’s house where he had been hiding.

The investigation was later transferred to the Crime Branch.

Without including POCSO charges, the Crime Branch filed a charge sheet just hours before the 90-day deadline expired.

After five different investigation teams handled the case, the final charge sheet was submitted in May 2021.

In February 2024, the trial began, and the Thalassery POCSO Court ultimately found the accused guilty.

The prosecution had said on Friday that the survivor received justice on Children’s Day (November 14) and that the accused deserved the maximum punishment.

Before sentencing, the prosecution again urged the court on Saturday to impose the harshest possible penalty.

The defence said that the case was politically motivated.

Padmarajan pleaded for leniency, saying he had a family consisting of his wife, children and mother.

The court responded that it had examined only the merits of the case.

Meanwhile, senior CPI-M leader and former legislator M.V. Jayarajan hailed the court judgment and said there was nothing political in the order.