Man Tricks Girl, 13, Into 'Virtual Marriage', Sends Friend To Rape Her As He Watches

In a chilling case that blurs the lines between love, technology, and crime, a man from Bihar "virtually married" a 13-year-old girl from Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district, blackmailed her and orchestrated her rape via video call.

Police say the man, Kundan Raj, came across the teenager's profile on social media in 2021, got hold of her number and called her. Kundan introduced himself as a resident of Patna and claimed to have fallen for her after seeing her profile picture. When the girl refused to talk, he allegedly sent her a photo showing his wrist slit open, emotionally blackmailing her into continuing contact.

Soon, their exchanges turned intimate. Over time, Kundan performed a 'virtual marriage' ceremony via video call, convincing the girl that they were now husband and wife. He then forced her to engage in obscene video calls, secretly recording the clips.

When she resisted further demands, Kundan threatened to leak the videos online, leaving her terrified.

According to the first information report, Kundan told the survivor that he wanted his "friend" to also "celebrate the wedding night with her" and that he would watch it live.

In October 2021, the accused's associate, Dilip Chauhan (29), arrived at the girl's home in the Duldula police station area under the fake name Deepak Yadav.

Dilip raped the girl as Kundan watched on a video call. 

When the girl refused to comply with more demands, Kundan sent one of the obscene videos to her elder sister. The teenager then broke her silence. 

She and her sister approached Duldula Police Station, where a case was registered under the Indian Penal Code, POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, and the IT Act.

The police arrested Raj from Patna in 2022, recovering his mobile phone. During interrogation, he confessed to having sent Chauhan to rape the girl.

Chauhan remained on the run for nearly three years, changing locations frequently to evade capture. The Jashpur police finally arrested him from the Kunkuri area on Wednesday. Officials said  Dilip has confessed to the crime.

Jashpur Senior Superintendent of Police Shashi Mohan Singh said, "The accused from Patna deceived the girl, held a 'virtual marriage', and later sent his friend to rape her. The first accused was arrested earlier. The second was absconding for a long time. We have arrested him and are preparing to send him to jail."