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Chandigarh University ‘video leak’ row: Was being blackmailed for videos: CU student tells SIT
SIT grills arrested trio for 7 hours; student says boyfriend’s friend was demanding explicit photos of her, fellow students
Mohali: The Chandigarh University student accused of leaking objectionable videos of herself and her fellow hostellers has claimed that she was being blackmailed by her boyfriend’s friend, who was demanding that she send him more ‘explicit’ photographs and videos, cops said on Tuesday.
Three persons – the student and two men from Himachal Pradesh, including her boyfriend – have been arrested.
A police official, who did not wish to be named, said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) grilled the three arrested accused and a fourth suspect separately for seven hours and posed 50 questions to them. “The team reached the Sadar police station ( Kharar) at around 6.30 am and questioned them till around 2 pm,” he said.
“The accused student told the SIT that she was being blackmailed by her boyfriend’s friend, who was threatening to leak the private videos and photographs, which she had shared with the Rohru-based accused. The blackmailer was demanding objectionable photographs and videos of the girl and other students,” he said, adding that the girl had shared around 15 explicit videos of herself.
On Sunday the police had said only one video had surfaced in the Chandigarh University ‘video leak’ row, and that too, of the accused woman, but the very next day the police had stated in court that another video though not of an objectionable nature, of another girl in the hostel washroom had been found on the phone of one of the men arrested in the case. The girl featured in the second video is yet to be identified.
Police have also found some screenshots of WhatsApp chats on CU student’s mobile with one of the accused, suggesting that she was being blackmailed for videos.
4th suspect, a CU employee interrogated
A fourth suspect, who works in the Chandigarh University canteen, was questioned by the SIT after his WhatsApp chats were found on the phone of one of the accused. After the interrogation, he returned to his native village in Hoshiarpur.
In a video message, deputy inspector general of police (DIG, Ropar Range) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said, “The SIT also visited the campus and checked all washrooms on the seventh floor of LC3 hostel, where the incident took place.”
“The team also questioned the wardens and recorded their statements. The mobile phones of all three accused have been sent the state cyber cell and we are awaiting the report,” he said. The report is expected in a couple of days.
On allegations of objectionable videos of other hostel borders being shared, he said, “The team is investigating the matter. We are also waiting for the state forensic team. The investigation will be fair and impartial and we will not spare the guilty,” he said, adding calls from international numbers and from Mumbai and Gujarat were being investigated as well. So far, no international connection or monetary trail has been found.
All three accused have been sent to seven-day police custody. On Monday, the Punjab Police had formed a three-member all-women special investigation team to probe the matter. The SIT is being led by additional director general of police (ADGP, administration ) Gurpreet Kaur Deo.
In view of the public outcry and pending investigation, the university will remain closed till September 24.
What cops say
1) International angle being probed
2) Forensic report of phones awaited
3) CU student had shared at least 15 objectionable personal videos with her accused boyfriend. Earlier, one video, though not of an objectionable nature, of a girl in the hostel washroom had been found on the phone of one of the men arrested in the case.
4) Wardens’ statements taken
5) All people in contact with 2 accused men to be questioned
6) No international connection or monetary trail found so far
