An 81-year-old sketch artist has been arrested in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl for more than seven years. The man was accused of digitally raping a 17-year-old girl in the last seven years, PTI quoted a police spokesperson as saying. The word 'digital rape' means forcing a woman or girl to have sex using her fingers or toes. It was not until December 2012 that digital rape came to the fore. However, after the Nirbhaya gang-rape, sexual offenses were classified as 'digital rape' in India, which led to reforms in the country's criminal laws.
According to police, the victim lives with her parents, who have been friends with the accused for almost 20 years. The girl was initially afraid to report. But then she began recording the suspect's sexual harassment and gathered large amounts of evidence. She told her parents what was happening to her. The parents then approached the police to lodge a complaint. The suspect elderly is an artist by profession and owns an office in Himachal Pradesh, was arrested by local Sector 39 police station officials on Sunday. An FIR was registered against him under sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntary injury) and 506 (intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. "The girl lives with her parents here. She has known the accused as a friend for almost 20 years. The parents had lodged a complaint in this regard," Rajiv Kumar, SHO, Sector 39, told PTI.
Following his arrest, the accused was produced in a local court and remanded in judicial custody for 14 days, the official said. In India, anyone charged with digital rape is now charged under section 376 (rape) of the IPC. But the conviction rate in digital rape cases is still relatively low in the country.