81-yr-old man held for ‘digital rape’ of minor in Noida

Police said the man, an artist by profession, had an office in Himachal Pradesh and one of his workers sent his minor daughter to live with him, so that she could get an education. He was sexually exploiting the minor ever since.

An 81-year-old man was arrested by Gautam Budh Nagar Police on Sunday for alleged ‘digital rape’ with a minor over seven years. Police said the suspect was living with the 17-year-old victim as her guardian.

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Police said the man, an artist by profession, had an office in Himachal Pradesh and one of his workers sent his minor daughter to live with him, so that she could get an education. He was sexually exploiting the minor ever since. “The girl was initially scared...in the past one month, she started recording the suspect’s sexual advances, mostly as audio files. She collected sizable evidence and shared her plight with a woman, who lived with the suspect who then lodged a complaint,” said additional deputy commissioner of police Ranvijay Singh.

‘Digital rape’ means forced sex with a woman/ girl using any object other than the reproductive organ. It did not fall under the ambit of rape but was added after the 2012 Nirbhaya case.