Daijiworld Media Network – Kendrapara

Kendrapara, Aug 11: Police on Sunday arrested a youth accused of blackmailing and abetting the suicide of a 20-year-old girl, who allegedly set herself ablaze at her residence in Pattamundai area of Kendrapara district on August 6.

Kendrapara Superintendent of Police Siddharth Kataria said the arrest came after the victim’s father lodged a complaint on Saturday. A case was registered at Pattamundai Rural police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Sections 75 (sexual harassment), 78 (stalking), 108 (abetment to suicide), and the IT Act against the accused, identified as Pramod Kumar Behera.

Police seized a mobile phone from Behera, while the deceased’s father’s phone had been seized earlier for forensic examination. “We recovered around 60 obscene videos. On July 17, the accused sent one such video to the victim’s father and also circulated it to four to five others. Call Detail Records revealed that he called the victim several times on August 6 and messaged her repeatedly on August 5,” SP Kataria said.

The SP added that the post-mortem and scientific analysis reports will confirm whether it was a case of suicide or homicide.

According to the victim’s father, his daughter had been in a relationship with the accused. After their breakup, the accused allegedly harassed her, sent obscene photos, and threatened to kill her, forcing her to take the extreme step while her family members were away.