Kashmiri journalist arrested for ‘rape, sextortion, trafficking’

Srinagar: A South Kashmir-based journalist, Nadeem Nadu, has been arrested and detained for sustained interrogation by the Srinagar District Police after a 27-year-old university teacher filed a complaint of rape, gang rape, extortion, sexploitation, trafficking and intimidation against him at the Women Cell Police Station on Friday, 30 September. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted for a thorough investigation of the charges which are also directed on unnamed ‘officers’ and are broadly reminiscent of the infamous Srinagar Sex Scandal of 2006.
Nadu was not an accredited journalist but was working as an editor for a local English newspaper and a local news gathering agency for several years. He has 18,000 followers to his Facebook page.
A press release from Srinagar District Police on Saturday said that “self-proclaimed journalist” Nadeem Ahmed Ganie @Nadeem Nadu of Anantnag had been arrested in a rape case. It said that the complaint against him had been filed by a girl who alleged that the accused had forced her into a sexual relationship after she was deceived and drugged inside a house at Northern Foreshore Road near Shalimar in July 2020. “The victim also alleged that the accused took her objectionable pictures after sedating her and used these to blackmail her into forced sexual intercourse many times”, it added.
The press release said that the victim was a student in an institution in central Kashmir at the time of the occurrence of this crime. Case FIR no 50/22 under sections 376,384,506 of IPC has been registered in Women Police Station, Srinagar. In view the heinous nature of the crime, an SIT headed by Deputy SP Headquarters Owais Wani and comprising Deputy SP Ms Sleet Shah, SHO Women Police Station Inspector Khalida Parveen and ASI Mohammad Yousuf Shah as members has been constituted.
Well-placed authoritative sources revealed to The News Now that the complainant, who was a 25-year-old student in 2020 and is now holding a junior faculty position in a university, has also alleged that her sexploitation extended to the journalists’ officer-friends. She has mentioned a ‘40-45 year old officer’ but not identified him by name. According to her she was also offered to more of the scribe’s officer-friends. Sources said that the SIT would reach the roots of the charges and arrest “everybody, however influential” in case the complainant’s accusations were corroborated with any substantial evidence.
According to the complaint on which the FIR is based, the university student fell in the trap when the accused flashed on social media that he would help if anybody needed help during a Covid lockdown in July 2020. She sought some help from the accused who drove all the way to Ganderbal with an unidentified accomplice. He told the complainant that he was going to pick up another girl student from a house.
“I went there and saw one more person with him who was having brown beard and was 25 or 26 years old. We started travelling and they were busy with each other. My phone was not charged that time. 6.35 p.m, we were on Foreshore Road and suddenly they moved the car towards wrong direction and said that another girl student is waiting there”, says the complaint.
“We reached there. Then the brown bearded boy said that “Ma’am the girl is changing her clothes, so you can come for 10 minutes and charge your phone. I went to the lobby of the house and started charging my phone. Then a watchman came with a tray and Nadeem picked that tray from door. I saw coffee and pakodas. They insisted me and when I ate those pakodas I felt dizziness”.
“After some time, when I opened my eyes, I was lying on the bed with a pain in my body and I started moving my arm so that I can find my watch and it was 8.00 p.m. I got shocked that I was unconscious from last 70 minutes. I saw my clothes near bed and I was naked. That time I realised that I have been brutally raped”.
“This was not easy for me. Nadeem came and said, “Are you alright sexy” and started laughing. He dropped at 10 O’clock. That time he said “Aana tumhari marzi se tha, ab aage mai decide karunga”. At 10.15 p.m. he started video calling me again and again. I told him that I don’t want to talk, but then he sent a picture of mine without clothes. He started talking dirty about me and ordered me to open clothes. I was shocked, alone and scared. That time I though this is my last day of life. But he said “if you even try to commit suicide, then I will bang your family and nobody can save them”. I told him that I will file a complaint. He said “Mujhe yeh dhamki matt dou. Peon se le ke PM tak sab meri jeb mai hain. Ulta faso gi. Sare officers suggestion le te hain (mujh se)”. Then he said “OK, pay me 5 lakh, I will delete everything”.
Her complaint goes on: “I was having no option. I was not able to share this with anyone. He was continuously blackmailing me and I lost my paper also. Then he started video calling and again ordered me to open clothes. He also said “on 15th July reach Khannabal sharp 10 O’clock. My friend who was with me last time will pick you. You have to meet with a special person. Otherwise I will disclose (expose?) you. I did the same. On 15th, the brown bearded boy came and picked me from Khannabal. Then we went to the same place. There was one officer who was approximately 40-45 years old. He started harassing me and then threw me out. I always used to make them understand about humanity but they never cared”.
“In the month of August, whenever he wanted he used to video call and then start doing dirty. On 28th September (2020), he texted me as I was in Wave Mall (Jammu) with my friends. He said he is waiting in café with 2 persons who are high level officers. Then he again started blackmailing. He said that if I will not go there, then he will share everything with them. I started begging him. I went there and he said “you have 2 options. One option is you have to spend 2 nights with the 2 persons. They will help me and give me the golden opportunity of a reasonable job with a healthy salary. 2nd option is you have to pay me 2 lakh”.
“I chose 2nd option. I went to Kashmir next day and I gave him my gold which was the whole saving of my family for me including 5 coins, 1 bangle and 2 rings. Then he was continuously torturing me by video calls. I was helpless and I was not having any other option”, she has complained.
“After some time I heard news about his marriage. It was 5th December (2020) when I came to know about this. I texted him but from his side his wife started giving me replies. I told her everything in nutshell. But she started blaming me and said, “My husband is a diamond. Every officer respects him and follows him”. I tried a lot but she didn’t understand. Finally it was 13th December, Sunday, and I was in Ganderbal. He called me on WhatsApp and I got scared again. I didn’t receive (respond to?) his call. Then he said to meet me in Dargah (Hazratbal?) at sharp 12 O’ Clock. He said he is busy with his marriage now and then promised that he will delete everything. I went there and he deleted everything. But I told him “you have made my life hell. You have done every bad thing with me. I have been raped by you and your so-called officers. Now I am nothing. I have lost my everything, especially my future. I tried to commit suicide more than five times. You are responsible for everything”, reads her complaint.
Updated On 10/2/2022 12:36:41 PM