Driver who filmed and shared Ujjain rape video arrested: Police

The arrested man was identified as Mohammad Salim, a car driver. (Symbolic image)

Bhopal:

The man who filmed the rape of a woman on a sidewalk in Ujjain in broad daylight and later shared the video on social media has been arrested, police said on Saturday.

The arrested man was identified as Mohammad Salim, an autorickshaw driver.

Police also seized the mobile phone he used to record the obscene video, which he later shared on social media.

Ujjain SP Pradeep Sharma told IANS that the questioning is still on as police are trying to understand the motive behind shooting the video and find out whether it was part of any “conspiracy”.

A separate case has been initiated against the auto driver under sections 72, 77 and 294 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), the IT Act and the Indecent Depiction of Women Act, Sharma said.

The woman was drunk when she was raped by an accused with whom she had previously consumed alcohol. The incident took place on September 5.

However, the matter came to light after a disturbing video went viral on social media a day later.

The police then intervened and the main defendant was arrested.

The victim had met the accused near a liquor store and they had been drinking alcohol together. Police said the accused overpowered and raped the woman while she was under the influence of alcohol.

This incident, meanwhile, sparked a political uproar as it occurred in Ujjain – the home district of Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

The opposition Congress party has questioned public order in the state as well as the safety of women in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

“The incident of a woman being attacked on the pavement in broad daylight in Ujjain is utterly horrific. Today, the entire nation is stunned and wondering where our society is heading. Reports say that instead of rescuing the woman, passersby took videos,” Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra posted on social media on Friday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)