23-year-old arrested over online rape threat to Virat Kohli's daughter
A 23-year-old man from Hyderabad was arrested on Wednesday for posting online rape threats to Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli's daughter, a nine-month-old baby. Vicious comments had surfaced on social media after India lost back-to-back matches in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Ramnagesh Srinivas Akubathini was arrested by a special team of the Mumbai Police. Here are more details.
Why does it matter?
This is the first arrest in the sickening case where Kohli's baby was subjected to rape threats. India lost their matches to Pakistan and New Zealand, diminishing their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. Kohli was particularly attacked after he spoke out against the online abuse of teammate Mohammed Shami who was allegedly targeted by social media users over his religion.
Accused taken to Mumbai by cops
On October 31, Twitter handle @criccrazygirl had posted a tweet threatening to rape Kohli's daughter. After the Mumbai Police launched an investigation into the threats, Akubathini allegedly changed his Twitter handle and pretended to be from Pakistan. The accused used to work as a software engineer for a food delivery company and is currently unemployed. He has since been taken to Mumbai.
Police invokes sections of IT Act
"By publicly releasing an objectionable tweet about the ten-month old daughter of Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli and cinema artist Anushka Sharma he has committed an act that will bring shame to the mind of a woman and defamed her parents," the Mumbai Police said in a statement. Cops have booked the accused under various sections of the Information Technology Act.
Delhi women's panel had sought action
Earlier, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had issued a notice to the Delhi Police calling for a probe. It had sought an FIR (First Information Report), details of those identified and arrested, and a detailed Action Taken Report. Kohli is married to film actor and producer Anushka Sharma, 33. They gave birth to a baby girl named Vamika in January.
