Casting agent lures minor to Mumbai; rapes and blackmails with video

The accused allegedly lured the victim to Mumbai from North India with the promise of a Bollywood break, but instead raped her and started blackmailing her with a video of the crime

Casting agent lures minor to Mumbai; rapes and blackmails with video

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A 51-year-old extras casting agent has been arrested by the Malvani police for allegedly raping a 17-year-old aspiring model after spiking her drink. The accused identified as Taukir Hassan Khan allegedly lured the victim to the city from north India in 2015 with the promise of a Bollywood break, claiming that he was a choreographer. He then raped her and later started blackmailing her with a video of the crime for nearly two years.

The accused was arrested from his home town in north India on Monday and has been booked under the IPC section of rape as well as the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. According to Times of India, he was produced before a special POCSO court in Dindoshi, where he was remanded to police custody till June 14, said Deepak Patangre, senior inspector of Malvani police station. The complainant’s lawyer Tripti Shetty said Taukir, who ran a small entertainment company called Dream Shelter, knew the girl’s family and asked them to send her to Mumbai as she was interested in acting. He told them he would help her get a break in films or TV serials.

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“The accused induced her to quit her studies and she came to Mumbai in 2015 when she was 15,” said a police officer, adding that Taukir told her he would get her a break if she gives 75% of her income to his company and she agreed. However, she soon decided to return home on learning that Taukir was not a choreographer and only a casting agent for film extras, but he dissuaded her from leaving the city. According to the complainant, the accused went to her home on August 16, 2017, and raped her after spiking her drink. She said she learnt about the rape only after regaining consciousness. She added that he showed her a video of the act and threatened to circulate it if she told anyone. The complainant said she kept quiet till she visited a relative recently and speaking to them gave her the courage to confide in them about the rape.

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