Virat Kohli was attacked after he spoke against the incessant trolling of Mohammed Shami (FILE)
Highlights
- The accused allegedly pretended to be Pakistani after cops started probe
- Police sources say he is a software engineer and currently unemployed
- He has reportedly worked for a food delivery app in the past
An engineer from Hyderabad has been arrested over online rape threats to Virat Kohli's baby daughter after team India lost back-to-back matches in the recent T20 World Cup.
Ramnagesh Srinivas Akubathini, 23, was arrested by a special team of the Mumbai Police this afternoon. He allegedly changed his Twitter handle and pretended to be a Pakistani user after cops started investigating screenshots of the threats. He has been taken to Mumbai.
Police sources say he is a software engineer and currently unemployed. He has reportedly worked for a food delivery app in the past.
There was national outrage over the sickening threats targeting the nine-month-old daughter of cricket captain Virat Kohli and actor Anushka Sharma last week.
The Mumbai police had been investigating several handles as Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are residents of the city.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had also called for an investigation. The panel had issued notice to the Delhi police, asking to see an FIR (first information report), details of those identified and arrested, and a detailed "action taken report".
Vicious comments started appearing on social media after India's loss to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in Dubai on October 24. Virat Kohli was also attacked after he spoke out against the incessant trolling of his teammate, Mohammed Shami, over his religion, after the loss.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was among those who came out in Virat Kohli's support. "Dear Virat, These people are filled with hate because nobody gives them any love. Forgive them. Protect the team," he tweeted.
Virat Kohli had put out a powerful message for Mohammad Shami, calling out “spineless” people on social media. “Attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing one can do as a human. That is a very sacred and personal thing. People take out their frustration because they have no understanding of what we do," he told reporters before a match.
"We're playing on the field, we're not a bunch of spineless people on social media. This has become a source of entertainment for some people which is very sad. All this drama created on the outside is based on people's frustrations. We stand by him 200 per cent. Our brotherhood in the team cannot be shaken," Kohli had said.