Nallasopara man held for rape threat to comedienne
Mumbai cyber police have arrested a 28-year-old man from Nallasopara, who in a video allegedly issued rape threats to a city-based comedienne. The woman had recently courted controversy after a video of her stand-up act performed last year went viral, in which she has been accused of insulting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Later, she apologised on social media and deleted the video.
On Monday, Umesh Dada alias Imtiyaz Shaikh was arrested by Mumbai Police, informed home minister Anil Deshmukh through his Twitter handle. On Sunday, a YouTuber, Shubham Mishra, was arrested from Vadodara on charges of threatening and abusing her. Shaikh is a friend of Mishra.
“We have taken suo motu action and have arrested Shaikh from Nallasopara. We are investigating who helped him make the video. We are probing if Mishra and he decided to put up the objectionable video together. He has been booked under sections 294, 354A, 354, 354D, 504 and 34, 505, 506, 509 of the Indian Penal Code and 67A of Information Technology Act. He would be produced in court tomorrow [Tuesday],” said Rashmi Karandikar, deputy commissioner of police (Cyber), Mumbai Police’s crime branch.
Two more people have been identified, who are friends of Shaikh and had made a similar video abusing and threatening the comedienne. Their video, too, had gone viral. “Both are residents of Virar and will be arrested soon,” said DCP Karandikar.
The comedienne’s clip went viral following which, first a Shiv Sena leader complained against her to the home minister. Later, activists from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) vandalised the place in Khar where she had performed. After video of MNS’s stunt was shared on social media, Mishra and Shaikh uploaded videos on social media, threatening to rape her for disrespecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They also abused her mother and sister.