Mangaluru, April 28 Karnataka Police have arrested a youth within the Belthangadi police station limits of the Mangaluru district for sexually harassing a girl student through messages, police stated on Monday.
Authorities have also registered a First Information Report (FIR) against two Hindu activists for assaulting the accused, who belongs to a minority community.
According to the police, the accused, a volleyball player, studied at a private college. He was also coaching students in volleyball.
The accused allegedly harassed a 17-year-old girl student by sending her inappropriate messages. When the accused continued to send her messages, the girl confided in her family, who filed a complaint with the police.
Later, when some Hindu activists came to know about it, they confronted and then thrashed the accused before handing him over to the police.
Preliminary investigations revealed that during the assault, the Hindu activists allegedly snatched the accused's mobile phone. After examining it, they reportedly found hundreds of videos depicting the accused in romantic situations with girls.
Meanwhile, the accused has filed a complaint against the Hindu activists for assault, and the police have registered an FIR against the two individuals.
The police have arrested the accused, a resident of Karkala town, on charges of harassing the girl by sending messages. They are currently investigating whether he habitually threatened and exploited girl students and are also verifying the hundreds of videos found on his phone.
Earlier, in separate cases filed under the POCSO Act within the Mangaluru police station limits, two individuals were arrested in March. In one instance, a 45-year-old man, known to the 13-year-old victim, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting her at her residence. He later committed suicide in prison.
In another case, Mangaluru police arrested a 19-year-old youth for molesting a 12-year-old girl. The accused allegedly followed the victim on a bike while she was riding a bicycle and molested her on an isolated stretch of road. The girl managed to escape and return home.
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