Lucknow, July 23 It is 10.30.a.m and most of the shops in the Naka Hindola market -- known as the grey market for electronic goods in Lucknow -- are not yet open.
Inside a dusty lane, a man peeps inside a half open shutter and says "Paanch local film chahiye -- achche wale. Sham ko aaunga" (I need five local films -- will come in the evening) and walks off.
The "local film", as it means here, is a rape video that is now a fastest selling commodity in this market.
The rape videos, many of them filmed in an amateurish manner, are clandestinely sold only to known customers and come in blank cover. To make the business more discreet, most of the videos come in USB pen drives.
Video recording a rape is no longer meant only for blackmailing the victim -- it is actually a good business proposition.
The business is flourishing right under the nose of the police -- the Naka Hindola police station is barely 500 metres from these shops -- and sources claim that cops receive a hefty amount on a monthly basis for allowing the business to continue.
Rakesh (name changed) who runs the sleaze business explained: "The days of pirated films are over. It is now the rape videos that is in demand. The trend of filming a rape is gaining ground and most of these are cases of gang rape. The duration is anything between 10 minutes to 30 minutes and the video clip is sold for anything between Rs 300 to Rs 500, depending on how explicit it is."
Rape videos are made available to those in the business by their agents in various cities.
"Our men buy these videos for Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 and we 'clean up' the clips before putting them out in the market. The clean-up means that the faces of the rapists are blurred but the victim's face is not. Those that have an audio track (read screams) are more expensive," Rakesh said and even admitted that there is a possibility of this business actually encouraging gang rape cases.
It is clear that porn is passe and real-life crime is the current rage. Obviously, it paves the way for sadistic pleasure for the viewer.
The demand for these sleaze clips has grown to such an extent that buyers are coming in from adjoining states like Madhya Pradesh and Bihar with bulk orders.
Sellers in Lucknow claim to sell 100 to 200 'local films' every day.
Those in the business say that their customers are mostly young boys and students and also those with political links which further firms up their 'business'.
With the state government providing free Wi-Fi at most public places, the business has received an impetus.
The complicity of the police in the business is more than evident. Sellers of rape videos claim that they give a fixed amount of money to the cops every month which allows them to conduct their business smoothly.
The cops, meanwhile, feign complete ignorance about the business.
A senior police official, however, said on condition of anonymity: "Now you know why certain police stations are much sought after by the cops -- it is the money that comes in. In more than 50 per cent of rape cases, the victims complain that the act was filmed by the accused but the police never register the case under IT Act. It is clear that there is a nexus which cannot be easily broken."
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