Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Accused of sexually harassing minors and recording videos of them on his mobile phone, a young man has been arrested in Maharashtra following a complaint filed by a BJP Member of Parliament (in connection with the Amravati minor exploitation case). As the police launched an investigation into the incident, a series of shocking details began to surface. It is alleged that the accused—identified as Mohammad Ayaz, alias Tanveer—would lure minor girls into "love traps." He would then use persuasion to take them to hotels in Mumbai and Pune, where he engaged in sexual intercourse with them. He also recorded these intimate moments on his mobile phone.
Ayaz has reportedly been involved in these criminal activities for a prolonged period. According to police sources, the accused has committed these heinous acts against approximately 180 minor girls. More than 350 objectionable videos were recovered from his mobile phone.
During interrogation, the arrested suspect confessed that he used these videos to blackmail the girls and force them into prostitution. It was also revealed that some of these videos had even been shared online.
It has come to light that the accused would identify and target these minors through various WhatsApp and Snapchat groups. Rajya Sabha MP Anil Bonde, upon learning of the matter, lodged a formal complaint with the police. Following this, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted, and the young man was subsequently arrested.
It is reported that Mohammad Ayaz previously served as a local office-bearer for the AIMIM party. His social media profiles contained numerous posts related to this affiliation, and he had participated in political rallies. However, as soon as the scandal came to light, the accused promptly deleted these posts.
Acting swiftly, the police arrested Ayaz and produced him before a court. The court has remanded him to seven days of police custody. The police have also seized his mobile phone.
The investigation is currently ongoing to determine whether he merely shared these videos with his personal acquaintances or if he was part of a larger criminal syndicate. Utilizing the expertise of the Cyber Cell, the police are also actively tracing the origins of the videos that have circulated online.