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Sex chats with 16-year-old boy leads to 53-year-old Mumbai businessman’s arrest
Khar Police had been investigating a case involving a 16-year-old boy, whose mother had filed a complaint in June.
A 53-year-old city businessman has been charged under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor. Identified on the basis of sex chats saved on the minor’s phone, the businessman was arrested on Monday.
Khar Police had been investigating a case involving a 16-year-old boy, whose mother had filed a complaint in June, after she learnt that her son was on a dating app popular with homosexual men. “Around a month back, the mother of the minor noticed an unknown man leaving from the main door. She asked her son, but initially did not get to know the truth. Later, the boy confided and informed her about the app,” said a police officer.
The teenager was taken by his mother to a child psychologist who suggested lodging an FIR. The police say the minor has cooperated with their probe and handed over his phone, which contains chats and details of men he met through the app. Last month, police arrested the man whom the mother had seen leaving their home. He was charged with POCSO and Section 377.
A second arrest was made on Monday when the police, while going through the chats saved on the 16-year-old’s phone, were able to identify another man – the 53-year-old businessman – who had engaged in a sexual relationship with the teenager.
“The chat was suggestive enough to prove the case against the businessman. He was confronted with the chat after his arrest,” said the police officer. The businessman is married.
Although the two men who have allegedly had sex with the 16-year-old have been arrested under the controversial Section 377, which criminalises homosexuality and is currently being debated at the Supreme Court, POCSO is more applicable to these cases since they involve a minor engaged in a sexual relationship with an adult.
According to POCSO, a child is any person under 18 and addresses sexual exploitation and abuse of minors. Sex with a minor constitutes statutory rape. POCSO also provides for mandatory reporting of sexual offences against a minor and if one who has knowledge of a child being abused does not report the case, they can be punished with six months’ imprisonment or fine.
The police confirmed that they are “trying to track more IDs” using the teenager’s phone. “Just on the basis of the chat no one could be arrested, but if the chats suggest that they met earlier and indulged in illegal sexual intercourse, then action will be taken,” said the police.
