School bus driver held for raping Class 12 girl in Punjab's Zirakpur

The accused allegedly morphed the girl's photographs and started blackmailing her, threatening to post those pictures on social media if she did not comply with his demands

Chandigarh: A school bus driver has been arrested for allegedly raping a Class 12 girl after blackmailing her with her morphed photographs in Punjab's Zirakpur, police said on Friday.

According to the police, the accused, Mohd Razaq (26), stalked the minor girl for sometime and then approached her for friendship, which the victim refused.

Later, he morphed her photographs and started blackmailing her, threatening to post those pictures on social media if she did not comply with his demands, the police said.

The accused raped the girl, who is a student at a school here, on three instances between May and July at her home while her parents were away, they said.

The police said that the crime came to light when the girl eventually confided in her parents after they noticed she was distressed.

A police complaint was subsequently lodged and the accused was arrested on Wednesday, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zirakpur Jaspinder Singh said.

Razaq has been charged with rape, criminal intimidation and other charges under relevant provisions of the law, including the POCSO Act, Singh said.

Further investigations are ongoing, he added.