In Sirsi, gang rapes and the evisceration of girls on the coast were arrested with doctored photos

Daijiworld Media Network – Sirsi

Sirsi, May 26: Police have arrested members of a gang that befriended young women in the coastal districts of Udupi and Uttara Kannada, took photographs of them under the guise of love, edited the photos into obscene images and used them to threaten and rape the victims. During the arrest, the suspects pelted stones at the police, injuring three officers. An accomplice managed to escape.

The incident took place in Malali village, Sirsi taluk, Uttara Kannada district when the police tried to arrest the suspects using a warrant. The suspects are linked to numerous rape and cheating cases in the coastal regions of the state. Shockingly, the mother of the main accused was found to be involved in her son’s criminal activities.

Arjun alias Arjun Laxman Gowda (27) is the main accused in the rape case. He was booked for rape at Banavasi police station and additionally booked under the IT Act at Sirsi police station. A case was also registered against him at Kundapura police station in Udupi district. Arjun used social media to flirt with attractive girls from the coast, get their mobile numbers and establish intimate relationships through video calls.

Arjun then went out with the women and secretly took photographs of them, some of them in private moments. He edited these photos into obscene images and used them to blackmail the women into repeated sexual acts. His relative Balachandra Gowda helped in the plot and also blackmailed some victims for money. Their criminal activities were reportedly aided by Arjun’s mother Nagaveni Laxman Gowda.

Police officers attacked during arrest

When the police tried to arrest Arjun Gowda, he and his relatives attacked the officials with stones and bricks. Three policemen from Banavasi police station were injured: K. Jagadeesha, P. Manjappa and D. Manjunath Naduvinamane, who were hospitalised.

Despite the resistance, the police managed to arrest Arjun Gowda. However, Balachandra Gowda tried to escape by taking rat poison but was later caught and hospitalized. Nagaveni Laxman Gowda is still at large.

A case has been registered at Sirsi Rural Police Station and investigation is ongoing.