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11 Jun 2019
Expelled IIT-Guwahati scholar arrested in Bihar for stalking woman
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A 30-year-old man has recently been arrested for stalking and harassing a Ph.D. scholar at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, the Powai police said on Monday.
According to reports, the accused, who was a research scholar at IIT Guwahati, sent vulgar and threatening emails to the Ph.D. scholar, who is a 26-year-old woman living in Mumbai.
Here are more details.
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Information
Kumar started sending her obscene messages in 2015
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The accused, who has been identified as Hemant Kumar, first met the woman when the two worked together in a Ranchi Research Center lab where they were studying between 2015 and 2016, Mid-Day reports. Kumar reportedly started sending her obscene messages on Facebook Messenger.
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Initial harassment
Even after woman's complaint to professor, Kumar didn't stop
![Even after woman's complaint to professor, Kumar didn't stop]( "Even after woman's complaint to professor, Kumar didn't stop")
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"The complainant started receiving vulgar messages on her Facebook Messenger after which she blocked the account," a police officer told Mid-Day.
However, later Kumar created multiple accounts to continue stalking and harassing her.
When the woman raised the issue of harassment with a professor at the lab, he issued a warning to Kumar. However, despite the warning, the harassment continued.
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Information
Kumar threatened to commit suicide and blame her
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The woman eventually moved to IIT-Bombay, however, she kept receiving obscene emails from various email addresses, police told Mid-Day. Reportedly, Kumar, who had joined IIT-Guwahati the same year, sent messages to her friends, and threatened to commit suicide and put the blame on her.
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Later events
5 phone numbers, 9 email IDs used to harass woman
![5 phone numbers, 9 email IDs used to harass woman]( "5 phone numbers, 9 email IDs used to harass woman")
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When Kumar started harassing her friends, the woman reported him to IIT's women's cell. Consequently, he was expelled from IIT-Guwahati.
The police said Kumar used five different phone numbers and nine email IDs to harass the woman.
After she continued receiving Kumar's messages during her time in Australia between 2017-18, the woman lodged a police complaint in April 2019, when she returned home.
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Do you know?
Kumar arrested from Purnia, Bihar, on Saturday
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After receiving the woman's complaint, the police traced Kumar to Purnia in Bihar. He was arrested on Saturday and produced in court the next day. A case has been registered under IPC Section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman) and relevant sections of IT Act.
