Mangaluru: The Karnataka court has awarded life imprisonment to a police constable for abetting the suicide of a minor girl.
The constable had befriended the girl through Facebook. He blackmailed her after luring her into dirty talks and then pushed her to end her life in Dakshina Kannada district.
The culprit was identified as 35-year-old Praveen Salyan, attached to the District Reserve Force (DRF) and a resident of Siddharthnagar in Bajpe.
Salyan got introduced to the 17-year-old girl through Facebook on February 16, 2015. He pretended that he was in love with the girl, and contacted her frequently through mobile phone and social media accounts.
The investigation showed that he had lured the girl into dirty chats on social media accounts. Police investigations also proved that the accused had sent pictures of his private parts to the minor girl.
Later, he demanded Rs 1 lakh in cash or gold articles from the victim and blackmailed her. Unable to bear the torture, the girl ended her life by hanging at her residence. The constable was suspended immediately after the incident came to light.
The girl had left a suicide note saying Salyan was responsible for her death. Ullal police filed a charge sheet against him after conducting investigation into the case. The case was registered on June 10, 2015. Public Prosecutor Sahana Devi represented the prosecution. The Additional District and Sessions’ Judge at Mangaluru, Manjula Itty pronounced the verdict on Thursday.
