A Muslim businessman from the Kotwali area has been arrested after two Hindu women working at his shoe shop accused him of rape and blackmail. The complaint was filed on 20th April at Tanakpur police station, Uttarakhand, after which the police quickly registered an FIR and took action.
The accused, Samasul Hasan alias Shahenshah (50), son of Abdul Haq and a resident of Masjid Colony, Ward No. 2, Tanakpur, was taken into custody soon after the case was registered. Police have booked him under sections 64 and 351(3) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was presented in court and is expected to be taken on remand for further questioning.
How the incident happened
The two women told police that they used to work at Hasan’s shop. According to them, whenever they asked for their monthly salary, he forced them into physical relations and would only pay them after that. They said he threatened them and raped them inside the shop when they demanded their wages.
The women also said that he made obscene videos during these incidents and used them to scare them. He warned that if they spoke about it, he would send the videos to their relatives and damage their reputation. Because of this fear, they stayed silent for a long time.
During the investigation, another woman who had earlier worked at the same shop shared a similar experience. She said she too faced the same kind of exploitation and blackmail, showing a pattern in the accused’s actions.
Police Inspector Chetan Singh Rawat said that complaints against Samasul had come up earlier as well, and police were keeping an eye on him. On the instructions of the Superintendent of Police, Champawat, the case has been handed over to female Sub-Inspector Gurvinder for detailed investigation. Further inquiry is ongoing.
