A city court today allowed CBI to interrogate an Odisha-based property dealer, arrested in connection with a sex video circulated on mobile application WhatsApp, as part of a probe into the scandal.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sanjay Khanagwal allowed seven-day custodial interrogation of Subrat Sahu, who was arrested from Bhubaneshwar and brought to Delhi.
"Heard. Perused the application. Police remand is granted for seven days," the CMM said.
The CBI had moved an application seeking ten-day custody of accused Sahu, who was produced in court today, saying it needed to take him to Bhubaneshwar to ascertain the place and time of offence and for corroboration of evidence.
A metropolitan magistrate had yesterday sent Sahu to a day's police remand saying it would suffice for investigation and further extension could be sought if required.
Sahu was arrested on March 24 after the Supreme Court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the videos of rapes or gangrapes of unidentified victims uploaded on social networking sites, including WhatsApp, by unknown people.
CBI booked Sahu on charges of common intention, propagating obscene material and assault to woman with intent to outrage her modesty under provisions of Indian Penal Code, besides sections of the Information Technology Act relating to violation of privacy and publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form.
The apex court had taken suo motu note of a letter of Hyderabad-based NGO Prajwala on the posting of two rape videos on WhatsApp and asked CBI to launch a probe forthwith to nab the culprits.
The agency has lodged eight regular cases (RCs) and a preliminary investigation and has so far, identified culprits in two cases.
