TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Cyber Crime Cell of Goa police will record statement of the victim in the Tehelka sex crime in connection with her fresh complaint over the circulation of an abusive defamatory email against her; a day after the Cell took over the case from Crime Branch (CB).
In her complaint to the CB last week, the woman journalist alleged the photograph appearing in a recent chain email indicated malicious intent because the picture, which shows her with Tehelka’s recused editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal – the alleged accused in the sexual assault case – and Hollywood actor Robert de Niro, has been taken out of context and given a wrong date on purpose.
The CB registered an offence under section 228 of Indian Penal Code for disclosing the identity of the victim and Section 66 of Information Technology Act, to subsequently transfer the case to the newly set up cyber cell on Saturday.
Sources said the victim’s statement is a part of the investigation, she being a complainant. “It is a normal procedure followed during investigation,” said a senior police officer.
It is however not certain whether the victim would testify in Goa or a police team would be sent to Mumbai for this purpose.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr O P Mishra would only say, “We have registered an offence on the basis of the complaint and now the cyber cell is carrying out an investigation.”
A team of experts are already on the job to track the IP address of the email, which was forwarded to the victim and several other persons created in the name of one Karan Singh.
The victim had further alleged that the systematic and virulent campaign was deliberately launched to falsify facts and the truth in the sexual assault case she had filed against Tejpal. The email she received on January 28 had questioned her “appearance” and “veracity of her rape complaint”.
The 28-year-old journalist’s complaint copy has also clarified to the police that the picture, which was last available on the Tehelka server, was taken in the Green Room of the Bambolim hotel in the presence of several guests during Think Fest in November 2013, and that Tejpal had requested her and other staffers to come into the frame.
