Hyderabad: The city police on Saturday arrested a bike taxi app service driver for assaulting a software engineer and his female colleague at NTR Marg near Tank Bund and uploading the video on social media after filming them.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, K. Shilpavalli, addressing a press conference here, said that Mohammed Raheel (24), a resident of Shakargunj in Charminar, was arrested for assault, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation of a man and a woman at NTR Marg on July 29 and by spreading the video of the incident inciting and promoting religious enmity through social media.
In his complaint, the software engineer said that he and his 24-year-old female colleague were near the statue of Dr. BR Ambedkar on July 29, at approximately 3.45 am while on the way to their residence, when Raheel, approached them on his two-wheeler.
He began recording both on his mobile phone and questioned the woman for being with a man from a different religion while wearing a hijab. He used abusive language, threatened them, and physically assaulted both individuals and threatened them with dire consequences. He also snatched the software engineer’s helmet and threw it on him to injure.
They fled on their bike with fear. But Raheel followed them in an intimidating manner by video graphing them with his cell phone until they reached Himayatnagar. The video recorded by the accused was disseminated on social media platforms, where it rapidly gained widespread attention.
This exposure has heightened the risk of potential attacks on the victims, posing a threat to them and their family members from communally motivated individuals. Using CCTV footage from the area, police traced Raheel and caught him near Charminar. During interrogation, he voluntarily confessed to the crime.
The police seized his mobile phone and the bike which was used in the commission of the offense.
The police said the video has deliberately exposed an innocent, young, career pursuing unmarried woman’s identity and personal situation to public view. The video has also exposed the identity of the male. This act in itself constitutes a serious breach of dignity and privacy and also endangers the liberty and life of two individuals. Moreover, it has the potential of inciting communal violence and disturbing harmony in the society and causing law and order problems.
The police made it clear that no person or group has the authority to moral police others, harass individuals based on their personal choices, or portray such actions as justified under any communal or ideological pretext.
“Such acts are criminal in nature and will be dealt with strictly, irrespective of the identity or affiliation of the offender,” the police added.
