A Lucknow-based businessman has been arrested for stalking and sexually harassing a Congress spokesperson on social media. Rajesh Shrivastava, 54, was arrested from his residence in Lucknow after the victim filed a complaint with Tughlak Road police station in New Delhi.
Shrivastava was then taken to Delhi for further questioning, reports Hindustan Times. One of the reasons why he targeted the Congress spokesperson was that he did not like her comments on right-wing leaders.
Madhur Verma, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), said added that a case was registered under sections 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and under section 67 (punishment for publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form) of the Information Technology Act.
The incident came to light when the victim posted the lewd comments sent to her on social media and tagged DCP Verma and Delhi Police. The police said that Shrivastava sent direct messages to her social media accounts for two weeks. She was receiving "obscene and threatening" messages from two unknown mobile numbers. She also posted the phone numbers of the accused on social media.
Hindustan Times reported that the accused immediately deleted his social media accounts and deactivate his SIM cards.
The police said that the probe conducted unearthed several fake social media accounts which were used to send lewd messages. They also added that the phone numbers from which he sent the messages were obtained with forged documents.
"We established the suspect's identity through electronic surveillance and his whereabouts. Once his residential address in Lucknow was confirmed, we sent our team and caught Shrivastava from his home," a police officer was quoted as saying by HT.
