Bengaluru: A police sub-inspector (PSI) from Bengaluru has been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act for allegedly sexually abusing minor boys under the guise of an interrogation.
PSI Praveen, has been suspended from service along with a police constable who allegedly assisted him, as reported by The Indian Express.
The incident took place about a year ago when Praveen detained the minor boys in connection with an investigation. Instead of following standard legal protocols for questioning the minors, he allegedly took them to a lodge, assaulted them, and forced them to perform obscene acts, which he then recorded on his mobile phone, police sources said.
There was outrage after videos of the alleged abuse surfaced recently and went viral on social media platforms. The police acted immediately after receiving information.
A suo motu case was registered by the police under relevant sections of the Pocso Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. The investigation was subsequently transferred to the Kothanur police station.
“The accused PSI was arrested and will be produced before the court. Police Constable Raghavendra, who allegedly assisted the PSI, has also been suspended,” a senior police officer said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
The videos were allegedly copied from the accused officer’s mobile phone during a domestic dispute before being leaked online, preliminary investigation has revealed. However, senior officials said investigators are still examining the source of the leak and how the videos surfaced on social media.
Praveen’s mobile phone has been seized and sent for forensic examination to determine the number of videos stored on the device, verify whether any digital evidence was deleted, and examine whether any objectionable content was shared with others.
