Chandigarh University student was allegedly blackmailed to record intimate videos

|India Today|

The two men accused in the Chandigarh University leaked videos case were allegedly blackmailing the arrested woman student to share videos of other hostellers, sources said.

Accused Sunny Mehta and his friend Rankaj Verma had allegedly threatened to make the woman student’s private videos viral unless she filmed and shared videos of hostel inmates in the common washroom.

Punjab Police have arrested three persons -- a woman student, a 23-year-old man, rumoured to be her boyfriend, from Himachal Pradesh and his 31-year-old friend.

Here are the top developments in the Chandigarh University leaked videos row:

• Massive protests broke out on the Chandigarh University campus post-midnight on Saturday, after students alleged that “private” and “objectionable” videos of several women hostel inmates were leaked on the internet.

• The students alleged that videos of nearly 60 girls taking baths in the hostel were leaked. On the other hand, the varsity issued a statement that one video was circulated. Moreover, it was captured and circulated by the accused. They said that the girl had made the video and shared it herself with her friend in Himachal Pradesh.

• Refuting rumours about the death of any student on campus in relation to the controversy, the university said that the video had been leaked by a girl student, who herself sent the video to one of her friends. The development came to the fore after Chandigarh University's pro-chancellor issued a statement clarifying there have been no suicides or deaths on campus.

• An FIR under Section 354-C (voyeurism) of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act has been registered in the matter and further probe is on, the police said.

• Police first arrested the woman student who was accused of making the videos, followed by a 23-year-old man from Himachal Pradesh, who was rumoured to be her boyfriend. His friend, a 31-year-old man, was also held.

• Police also seized the phones of the three accused. A police official said the devices of all three accused will be sent for forensic examination.

• On directions of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, a three-member special investigation team (SIT) comprising only women police officers has been constituted to probe the matter.

• Police on Monday produced the three accused in the Kharar court in Mohali and sought a ten-day remand. However, the court sent the accused to seven-day police remand.

• Following assurance of a fair and transparent probe, students at Chandigarh University ended their protest at around 1.30 am on Monday, Mohali police chief Soni said.

• Meanwhile, the university announced "non-teaching days" till September 24, following which several students returned to their homes. The varsity has also formed a nine-member committee to probe the incident.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)