The police has arrested a BJP leader in Bhilwara for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman and blackmailing her by using video clips of the crime. In another incident, a cleric from Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Kalam Khan Qadri, has been arrested in Bhilwara on charges of raping a young girl in an exorcism attempt.
The Bhilwara police arrested Gangapur municipality vice-chairman and BJP leader Rajendra Bansal for allegedly sexually exploiting a woman for the last five months. The victim claimed Mr Bansal had been blackmailing her after he filmed the crime and demanded `5 lakh. She said that when she refused to give him money, he circulated obscene clippings on mobile phones.
Mr Bansal, however, denied the charges. But the police claimed he was found to be involved in the crime. According to the victim, Mr Bansal, who runs a mobile phone shop in Gangapur town under Bhilwara district, made a phone call to her asking to come to his shop to collect her husband’s mobile phone. She said when she reached his shop, she was given some sedatives with water and raped.
The victim said the BJP leader also made video clips of the crime and blackmailed her for months. She approached the local police but the police refused to register her complaint, she said. The police took action only when the victim visited Bhilwara and made a submission to senior police officers. “We have arrested Bansal on charges of rape, blackmail and crime under the IT Act,” said a senior officer in Bhilwara. The police has recorded the victim’s statement.
In the other incident, the Bhilwara police booked Maulvi Qadri for exploiting a Muslim girl in Banera town. The police arrested Maulvi Qadri when he was about to leave Bhilwara for Uttar Pradesh. According to the victim, Qadri visited her house six months ago to perform some religious work. She said that Maulvi Qadri told the family that the girl was under an evil spirit and that he needed to cure her. The victim told the police that Maulvi Qadri had asked her to report to his residence for treatment and that she was served some drink with sedatives when she went there. The victim alleged that when she lost consciousness, Maulvi Qadri raped her and made a film of the crime. According to the police, he threatened her that he would make it public if she refused to follow his directives. The police has recovered a mobile with clippings of the crime from the cleric.