Dodla Venkatesh, a travel agency operator from Telangana loved a woman. But her family arranged her marriage with a man from another village. Upset with it, the man thought that if the woman cannot be his partner, then she shouldn't marry anyone else. To break her marriage, the man hatched a plan. He put up defamtory posters, claiming a relationship with her, across villages.
The man, along with five others, has been arrested by Siddipet police.
The accused pasted the posters at various locations in Tangalapalli village of Rajanna-Sircilla district and Ensanpally village of Siddipet district on the night of July 7.
According to police, the prime accused, 29-year-old Dodla Venkatesh from Peddagundavelli village of Dubbak mandal, had been in love with the woman from Ensanpally for some time.
''After her family fixed her marriage with a man from Tangalapalli village, he allegedly became upset and hatched a plan to damage her reputation and stop the wedding,'' Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Siddipet Division, Ravinder said.
Venkatesh secured a photograph of the woman and prepared objectionable posters claiming a relationship with her.
''With the help of his friends, he got the posters printed and pasted them at several places in Tangalapalli and Ensanpally villages," ACP Ravinder said.
After the posters went viral among villagers, the woman's family approached the police.
Based on the complaint filed by the woman's father, Siddipet Three Town Police registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions related to harassment, intimidation, defamation and common intention.
The police arrested the accused Venkatesh, Vannela Aswit Kumar alias Bunny of Gurralagondi, Bandi Bhanu Prasad alias Dinesh and his wife Rekha of Bakrichepyala, Burujukindi Eeshwar of Ramancha, and Rajboyna Naveen Kumar of Siddipet based on CCTV footage.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed to their involvement.
Police have seized the mobile phones used in the offence, the car used while pasting the posters, and the printed material.
Police have also warned printing press owners and social media users against circulating objectionable content.
"Printing or forwarding defamatory material against women will invite legal action. Printing establishments must verify the content before publishing any posters or material," he added.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
