Javed Aziz Khan

PESHAWAR: Videos made on mobile phones with or without the consent of those being filmed have become a new technique to blackmail young girls caught doing something wrong.

The videos have not only ruined several families but have also led to killing of many young people over the last several years. Two such incidents took place in Urmar Mayana and Tehkal villages in Peshawar district.

In one case, two young men Waqas and Manzoor, allegedly kidnapped a young girl, Laila, from the same village and assaulted her physically in a hujra. They also made a video of the act. Narrating her ordeal to the police, the girl said the two had been blackmailing her to steal money and ornaments from her home for the last four months.

She said the two had threatened to circulate the video in the village if she didn’t cooperate with them and do as she was told. Laila said she stole some 35 tolas of gold ornaments from home during this period. But when she failed to steal more ornaments from her home, the duo allegedly circulated the video in the village.

The girl finally approached the Urmar Police Station and narrated her ordeal. The cops have nabbed one of the accused and were hunting the other one. In the other incident, a female student of the University of Peshawar, who had allegedly gone on a date with a friend studying at the Khyber Medical College, was filmed through a hidden camera installed at the guesthouse situated on the University Road.

She alleged that the owner of the guesthouse exploited the opportunity to rape her and also make its video to blackmail her in future. She was ordered to visit the blackmailer whenever asked and provide him sexual favours.

The police raided the guesthouse and reportedly arrested five prostitutes along with the owner of the guesthouse and his son. However, most of them were later released by the court on bail.

“The gang has blackmailed over 20 young girls by making their videos. We have issued warnings to the owners of all the guesthouses in the University Town after receiving complaints,” said Superintendent of Police (Cantonment) Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed.

Countless videos are being circulated through cellular phones in which young women and men are shown involved in sexual activities. The police said that most of the videos were made when the girls and their partners were unaware of being filmed. In November, a woman and a man were killed in Matani area after the video of the former was circulated in the village.

A policeman said the woman was not involved in any sexual activity but just the making of her video by a stranger and its circulation in the village had made her family furious who killed both of them.

A similar complaint was received by the Tatara Police Station many months back in which the son of a senior official was accused of raping his servant and making video of the act.

Two sisters and their male relative were killed by the uncle of the girls in Paharipura when the boy made their video that was later circulated. It had been learnt that some cellular phone shops are openly uploading such objectionable films in cellphones.

An internet cafe, probably in Islamabad, had ruined the lives of dozen of couples when the owner released the videos made through hidden cameras.

The videos were circulated from the phone of a doctor that he made during examination of women patients. There are a number of other such incidents but the law-enforcers took action only in a few cases.

Source: The News