A fake Instagram profile. Friendly chats. Intimate photographs shared. Then came blackmail, threats and repeated sexual abuse. The horrifying ordeal of a 16-year-old girl finally ended when Hudkeshwar Police broke open the door of a rented room in Dighori and rescued her. After entering the room, the sight left the police shaken. The girl was lying naked on a bed with her hands and legs tied. The accused youth was standing behind her holding a belt and a knife was lying near the bed. The girl’s body bore several injury marks and she was crying for help. The rescue operation took place on Monday at 11.05 pm. Policewomen immediately covered the girl and untied her hands and legs. The frightened girl burst into tears after seeing the police. She had allegedly been locked inside the room for nearly 18 hours.

 

The police quickly overpowered the accused without giving him a chance to escape. The injured girl was rushed to hospital for treatment. The accused was taken into custody and brought to the Hudkeshwar police station for questioning. The incident has shocked residents in the city. Investigators said the accused had allegedly rented the room in Dighori area only to repeatedly sexually exploit the minor girl by threatening and blackmailing her. The arrested accused has been identified as Nirbhay Pakhare (20), a resident of Thane. Police said his mother is a doctor. He had been staying in the rented room in Dighori area whenever he came to Nagpur. According to police investigation, the story began in May last year when the accused allegedly created a fake Instagram account using the name Akash Mehra. The minor girl, who is the daughter of a senior Revenue Department officer, came in contact with him through social media.

 

Their conversations initially appeared friendly. Over the following months, the chats turned into sexually explicit conversations. During this period, the accused and the girl exchanged intimate photographs. Police said the accused later started blackmailing the girl after obtaining her obscene pictures. He allegedly threatened to circulate the photographs on social media if she refused to obey him. Under constant fear and pressure, the girl continued to remain in contact with him. Investigators said the accused came to Nagpur last year and allegedly took the girl to a hotel, where he sexually assaulted her. Later, he rented a room in Dighori and allegedly continued calling her there whenever he visited the city. Whenever the girl refused to meet him, the accused threatened to make her photographs public. Fearing humiliation, the girl continued visiting him against her wishes.

 

On Sunday at around 9.30 am, the girl told her parents that she was going to meet a friend. However, she did not return home throughout the day. Her mobile was also switched off. As evening passed, the worried parents searched for her at different places. When all efforts failed, they approached Hudkeshwar Police Station and lodged a missing complaint. Police immediately started tracing the girl’s movements. Officers examined her call records and identified the mobile number of Pakhare. Technical surveillance helped police locate his phone near the rented room in Dighori. A police team rushed to the spot and questioned the landlord. After receiving no response from inside despite repeated knocks, the officers suspected something was seriously wrong. At around 11.05 pm, police broke open the locked door. Inside, they found the horrifying scene. The minor girl was rescued immediately while the accused was arrested on the spot. Police have registered offences against the accused under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, kidnapping and other applicable sections of the law. He was produced before the court on Tuesday, which remanded him to two days of police custody for further investigation. Police are now examining the accused’s mobile phones and social media accounts to find out whether any photographs or videos were shared or whether other victims may also have been targeted. The investigation is on.