A 48-year-old YouTuber from West Bengal with a substantial online following has been arrested and his teenage son has been detained for the alleged repeated rape of a 15-year-old girl, whom they lured with promises of featuring her in video reels for their popular channel.
The accused, Arabinda Mondal and his son were apprehended on Sunday in the Mohanpur-Bacharipara area of Haroa, North 24 Parganas, following a complaint filed by the survivor’s family. The victim is a Class 9 student and her father serves with the Kolkata Police.
According to a TOI report, the alleged crimes came to light after the girl confided in her family on Saturday, having endured the abuse for days. A formal complaint was lodged with Haroa police the following morning.
Police authorities stated that Mondal and his son, who reside in the same locality as the survivor, initially approached the girl several months ago. They offered her a role in short video reels for their YouTube channel, which police sources indicated has amassed 4.5 million followers. The girl’s family, being neighbours, reportedly raised no initial objection to her accompanying the duo to various locations for filming.
However, the situation turned predatory. A relative of the girl was cited by TOI as saying that the accused secretly took private photos and videos of the minor. "Using those as leverage, the accused and his son allegedly began blackmailing her and repeatedly raped her, threatening to upload the images on social media if she spoke up about it," the relative said.
A senior officer from the Basirhat District Police provided further disturbing details, stating, "They allegedly put vermilion on her forehead, promising marriage, before raping her." Consequently, the Haroa police have arrested Mondal under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Following their arrest, Mondal was produced before the Basirhat Sub-Divisional Court on Sunday and remanded in police custody for five days to aid the investigation. His minor son has been sent to juvenile court.
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