In a shocking incident in Rajasthan’s Ajmer district, an 11th-class schoolgirl was gang-raped by individuals who initially befriended her through Instagram. The main accused, Irfan, exploited the connection established by one of the victim's friends at a coaching centre. Subsequent to their virtual introduction, Irfan, alongside his accomplices, not only sexually assaulted her but also filmed the act to use as leverage for blackmail.

The perpetrators began their exploitation by harassing the young girl, threatening to release the video unless she complied with their demands. They forced her to pay Rs 5 lakh initially and later escalated their demands to Rs 10 lakh. The victim’s ordeal continued until her father became aware of the situation and took action by filing a police complaint.

The victim’s father recounted to the police how his daughter had made a new friend at the coaching centre in October 2023. It was this friend who encouraged her to connect with Irfan on Instagram. Despite initially blocking him, she was persuaded to unblock and befriend him. This led to her Instagram ID password being stolen and misused, marking the beginning of her horrifying experience.

The police have formally registered a case and are proceeding with investigations into the matter, bringing some hope of justice to the victim and her family. This case highlights the potential dangers of social media interactions and the severe consequences that can arise from them.

Continuing from the harrowing events of the blackmail scandal in Ajmer, the exploitation of the victim took a more severe and disturbing turn. Using her compromised Instagram ID, the perpetrators engaged in sending obscene messages, which they then used to further manipulate and coerce the young girl. The victim, under immense pressure, was forced into a physical relationship with the primary accused, Irfan.

The ordeal escalated as Irfan and his accomplices took obscene photographs of the victim during these forced encounters. They then used these images to blackmail her further, threatening to release them on the internet if she did not meet their demands for money. In a desperate and terrified state, the victim resorted to stealing money from her own home to comply with Irfan’s demands.

In a particularly bold move in March of this year, Irfan demanded an exorbitant sum of ten lakh rupees, leaving the victim utterly shocked and distraught. The continuous financial strain and emotional torment reached a tipping point when her family members discovered the cash missing from their home. Confronted with questions from her family, the victim broke down and revealed the extent of her suffering.

Upon hearing about the abominable acts his daughter had been subjected to, including being gang-raped by five individuals, the victim's father immediately reported the matter to the police. This act of bravery brought the victim's plight to the attention of law enforcement, initiating a formal investigation into the crimes that had been perpetrated against her. This case continues to unravel as authorities delve deeper, uncovering the layers of manipulation and abuse leveraged through digital platforms.

As the investigation into the Ajmer blackmail scandal progresses, the authorities have made significant headway in addressing the crimes committed against the young schoolgirl. "So far in this case, the primary accused, Irfan, his companion Arbaaz, and one other person have been arrested," confirmed Arvind Singh, the Circle Inspector of the Christian Ganj police station. The arrests mark a critical step forward in the pursuit of justice for the victim.

CI Singh emphasized the gravity of the situation, noting that "this is a serious case with the possibility of several other arrests." The police are actively searching for the remaining individuals involved in the heinous act, indicating the broader network of perpetrators who might still be at large.

Further investigation has shed light on the initial contact that led to the victim's exploitation. "Details about the girl who initiated the friendship are being looked into," the investigating officer revealed. This aspect of the case highlights the complex web of relationships and manipulation that preceded the criminal acts.

Adding a crucial piece of evidence to the case, CO North Rudrapratap Sharma reported a significant discovery. "Obscene photos were found on the accused Irfan’s phone," he stated, stressing the importance of this find. These images, pivotal to the prosecution's case, "will be forensically examined" to ascertain their authenticity and relevance to the charges laid against Irfan and his accomplices.

The ongoing forensic analysis is expected to provide conclusive proof of the crimes, potentially linking the accused directly to the acts of exploitation and abuse. As the community watches closely, the police continue their diligent work, piecing together the evidence needed to ensure that all those involved are held accountable.

The case remains under intense scrutiny, both from law enforcement and the public, as each new development brings hope of closure and justice for the young victim whose life has been irrevocably altered by these events.

1992 Ajmer Sex Scandal

In 1992, the small town of Ajmer in Rajasthan woke up to a shameful, sordid scandal. The scandal involved hundreds of young girls, some college students while some others were still in school. The news of the scandal broke after a local paper, ‘Navjyoti’ published some nude images and a story that spoke about school students being blackmailed by local gangs.

It all started with Farooq Chishti grooming a female student of Sophia Senior Secondary School and raping her. He took objectionable photographs of the minor and threatened her to introduce other girls to him. Later, those girls were raped and blackmailed as well.

Farooq Chishti was the president of the Ajmer Youth Congress while two other accused, Nafis Chishti and Anwar Chishti were the vice-president and joint secretary respectively of the city Congress unit. In this case, some of the accused were the Chishti Khadims (caretakers) of the Ajmer Dargah.

Further investigations led to 18 men in total being charged in the case and tensions ran high in the town for several days. Most of the accused were Muslims, many from the families of Khadims, and most victims were young Hindu girls.

The case involving the exploitation of over a hundred women first came to light after a journalist, Santosh Gupta, published a report in a local daily, 'Dainik Navjyoti', in April 1992. Some reports peg the number of women sexually exploited at around 250.

The report revealed that schoolgirls were being sexually exploited by people who recorded their intimate moments and took nude photographs of them.

The report published with the title 'Daughters of big leaders are victims of blackmail' sent shockwaves through the entire country.

It detailed a racket run by a gang who sexually abused more than 100 women aged 17 to 20. All the women were studying in different schools in Ajmer and were blackmailed by people who were in a position of influence - both politically and financially.

In the aftermath of the report, the accused tried to erase all evidence, officials tried to save themselves and the family members of the victims quietly moved out of the city.

Several of the accused were from the families of influential khadims, who served at the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti and identified themselves as descendants of the original followers of the Sufi saint. The most prominent among them were Farooq and Nafis Chishty, who were Youth Congress leaders at the time.

RAJASTHAN POLICE DELAYED ACTION

As the situation got more intense, then-Rajasthan Chief Minister, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, was apprised of the scandal. Shekhawat issued strict instructions not to spare the people involved in the scandal.

Despite his order, the district police administration did not take action. In the meantime, the accused got an opportunity to destroy the evidence that could be used against them.

What followed next was another saga of political influence and administrative incompetence. There are speculations that the matter was suppressed to the point that many witnesses and victims turned hostile, and many details got buried. The witnesses and victims were threatened and blackmailed as well to stop them from coming forward. Some of them turned hostile due to social stigma.

There was no action from the police or the district administration and, after almost a fortnight, Santosh Gupta came out with another report. In the report titled 'How did those who blackmail girl students remain free?', Gupta also included some blurred-out photographs of girls that were used to blackmail them.

The third news report was published with the title 'CID had given information five months back!'

The fourth report included a statement of Rajasthan's then home minister Digvijay Singh: "He had seen the obscene photographs a month and a half ago".

The reports resulted in massive protests and built pressure on the state government also because most of the men accused were Muslims and several victims Hindus.

To control the situation in the state, a delegation of lawyers held a meeting with the then District Collector Aditi Mehta and then Superintendent of Police MN Dhawan where it was decided that the accused would be jailed under the stringent National Security Act.

It was also revealed in the same meeting that lawyer and BJP leader, Veer Kumar, and an office bearer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had informed the district police about the sexual exploitation of Hindu girls by Muslim men long before the scandal was reported by Gupta.

People's anger rose to a new level when then Inspector General of Police, Omendra Bhardwaj, said in a press conference that the case was not as it was being publicised and that the schoolgirls had not been sexually exploited. He claimed that the characters of the four girls whose photos of sexual abuse were found were "suspicious".

Bhardwaj's statement led to protests across the state, with people demanding the arrest of those involved.

The BJP government at the time faced a lot of pressure as several Congress leaders, including Ashok Gehlot and Raghu Sharma, demanded punishment for the culprits. The Congress leaders also demanded that the matter should be investigated by the Crime Investigation Department (CID).

Finally, on May 30, 1992, the then Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat announced that the matter would be handed over to the CID for investigation.

Before the CID could take over the investigation, the Ajmer District Police Administration under the then Deputy Superintendent Hariprasad Sharma registered an FIR.

In the FIR, Hari Prasad Sharma gave a report analysing the four obscene photos and wrote, "In Ajmer, schoolgirls were somehow trapped and obscene photographs were taken. After that, they were blackmailed as well and sexually abused. Along with this, information has been received that the gang is pressing the girls to bring others in the net."

It was also written in the report that influential young men were included in the gang running the racket. It was also mentioned that a few of the victims have been identified from the photos and names of a few who are part of the gang would surface after further investigation.

The next day, on May 31, 1992, senior IPS officer NK Patni, along with his entire team reached Ajmer and took over the investigation.

The CID investigation revealed the involvement of Youth Congress leaders Farooq Chishti and Nafis Chishti, Joint Secretary Anwar Chishti and Almas Maharaj, among others in the racket.

Out of the people whose names came up in the investigation, Harish Tolani was the manager of a photo studio. This was where Nafis Chisti and Sohel Gani used to bring the reels which contained footage of girls being sexually abused to be developed. The owner of the lab was also named as an accused.

Many of the girls whose photographs were circulated as part of the scandal died by suicide. Many of them were identified using the photos and the videos, but several did not want to talk about their ordeal.

Only a few came forward to give their statements and of these, fewer stuck to their statements.

A case was registered on the basis of the statements of some and around 18 men were identified as accused. Of these, only one accused, Almas Maharaj, is absconding and is believed to be in the US.

Over 100 of the girls who were survivors of the scandal have not got justice even today. The case is still pending in court.

In 1998, a court in Ajmer sentenced eight men to life imprisonment, but the Rajasthan High Court acquitted four of them in 2001. In 2003, the Supreme Court reduced the sentences of the other four convicts to 10 years. Six of the men are still facing trial.

After more than three decades, the matter has resurfaced with 'Ajmer 92' and claims of sacked Rajasthan minister Rajendra Gudha.

The film claims that around 250 girls were victims of the scandal from 1992 while only 12 girls had filed complaints.

The matter is in the news again as crimes against women are brought up as a main law and order issue in the poll-bound state.