Valentine's Day party at Bengaluru villa leads to extortion FIR, gang rape complaint

A Valentine's Day party at a villa near Jakkur in Bengaluru has led to cross-complaints of extortion and gang rape, with two First Information Reports (FIRs) being registered in the city within days of each other. According to the police, a 34-year-old man first approached the Malleshwaram police station on February 21, alleging that he was being extorted and threatened over social media posts linked to the February 14 gathering. A day later, on February 22, a 19-year-old college student filed a complaint at another police station, accusing him and another man of gang rape at the same party. Separate investigations are underway. In his complaint, the man, a second-hand car dealer, stated that he had leased a villa near Jakkur for hosting private events. He told the police that a friend had booked the property between February 14 and 16 for a Valentine's Day celebration. The complainant said that he was introduced to the student through mutual friends at the party on the night of February 14. The event ended around 4 am, after which she allegedly asked him to drop her home. He claimed he dropped her near a bakery in Rajajinagar and had no further contact with her. He further said that on February 18, he came across an Instagram post in which the student alleged that she had been intoxicated and sexually assaulted at the party. Soon after, he alleged, he began receiving calls from unidentified persons claiming to represent a Kannada news channel and its branch office. The callers allegedly demanded money to "settle" the issue and threatened to air the allegations on television if he refused, which he said would damage his and his family's reputation. He also alleged that they threatened to circulate videos and "ruin his life". Based on his complaint, the Malleshwaram police registered a case under Section 308(2) (extortion) read with Section 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 66D (cheating by personation using computer resources) of the Information Technology Act, and initiated an inquiry. Subsequently, the 19-year-old, a native of Tamil Nadu and a first-year BA student, lodged a complaint alleging that two men sexually assaulted her at the villa that night. In her statement, she said that about a month earlier, she had come into contact with a 21-year-old who hails from West Bengal, through Instagram. They later met at a café in Koramangala and remained in touch. Story continues below this ad On February 14, she alleged, she was invited to a party near Jakkur. She said she and a friend reached the villa after midnight, where the 21-year-old and the car dealer were present. The student alleged that the two men forcibly administered a pink-coloured intoxicating pill to her, after which she felt dizzy and semi-conscious. She further alleged that both sexually assaulted her in a room against her will and confined her there for several hours. She stated that she was later dropped off near a mall and warned of consequences if she disclosed the incident. She told police that she did not immediately approach them due to fear. After informing her brother and seeking medical treatment at a private hospital on February 17, she filed a formal complaint. The jurisdictional police have registered a case under sections 64 (rape), 70(1) (gang rape) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the BNS. Police said efforts are on to secure the accused and examine CCTV footage and forensic evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.