Techie gal in Blackmailer's net

The High Court on Monday heard the heartrending tale of a 22-year-old software engineer who narrated how she was blackmailed and married by a self-styled businessman. The woman appeared before a division bench comprising Justice A. Gopal Reddy and Justice Nooty Ram Mohan Rao following a habeas corpus petition filed by her husband, Mr G. Lakshmaiah Chowdary of Ashoknagar.
She alleged that Mr Chowdary had married her forcibly by threatening that he would put up some photographs on the Internet and put up posters for public display. She alleged that he took away her passport, education certificates, gold ornaments and a mobile phone after the forced marriage.
She also alleged that she was confined to a house but she managed to escape and was staying with her parents. She had lodged a complaint with the Gandhinagar police against her husband and in-laws. A magistrate had recorded her statement under Section 164 CrPC.
The judges expressed their dismay over the callousness of the police in delaying the arrest of the accused. The woman said Mr Chowdary was her neighbour in Guntur and their families were friends. She joined an engineering college at Chennai. Mr Chowdary and some of his friends visited her and they went to the beach.
She alleged that Mr Chowdary took her pictures while she was bathing. She alleged that Mr Chowdary asked for Rs 1 lakh. But she said she paid Rs 90,000 through a bank. He invited her to the city on the pretext of returning her photographs. When she arrived, he confined her to a room and forcibly married her on March 3, 2007, the woman alleged. The bench asked the assistant government pleader, Ms Mohana Reddy, why the accused was not arrested. She stated that he had obtained anticipatory bail. The court asked why the police had not submitted the statement of the victim before the court when the accused had applied for the bail. The court observed that it would recall his bail. The hearing was posted for next week.