123 Kolkata: Two men, posing as team members of a celebrated fashion photographer of Kolkata after opening a fake social media ID, allegedly blackmailed and raped two young women — aged 22 and 25 — on the outskirts of the city. Cops said the number of victims could rise in the coming days with more women opening up. While one of the accused was arrested by Jadavpur Police, another prime suspect is still on the run.
Joint CP (crime-traffic) Rupesh Kumar said the case was recorded at Jadavpur PS on Friday based on a complaint filed by the photographer Tathagata Ghosh, a resident of Baghajatin.Delhi Election Results 2025Saffron surge in Delhi as BJP ends AAP's reign in landslide victoryDelhi results: Complete list of winners from AAP, BJP and CongressTop 10 winners and losers in Delhi elections
"Initially, Ghosh claimed in Jan that there were misdeeds being committed using his fake profiles, especially on WhatsApp. He came along with two victims who said they were lured by the fake profiles. When we began investigations, we learnt that two men — whom we later identified as Pratik Pal alias Sayan and Tapan Pal alias Aniket Basu — created the fake profiles and invited the victims initially to chat with them. They then offered photoshoots and roles in cinemas. When these women arrived at the designated studio — usually located in Madhyamgram — the accused would tell them that they were from Ghosh's photographers' team. They would shoot their provocative and nude photographs. They would then blackmail the victims and rape them," said DC (Jadavpur-SWD) Bidisha Kalita.
While the main accused Pratik (37), a resident of Titagarh and hailing from Naihati, was arrested around 11.40 pm, Aniket is still on the run. Pratik was produced before a local court where he was sent to police custody till Feb 15. Pratik claimed that he was originally a trader.
Advocate Smitesh Chaterjee, who is representing Ghosh, said the accused used fake WhatsApp DPs to contact models. They also contacted women aspiring to be models. "The accused invited these women for auditions. The first victim arrived at the Madhyamgram studio in May-June. First, there was a normal photoshoot. Then she was asked to participate in a bold shoot. Then, she was asked to go for a nude shoot. When the woman refused, she was told to forget her career in modelling. Frightened, she agreed to the nude shoot. It was then that the two men raped her, all the while filming the act. The woman kept silent, hoping for a brand endorsement. But nothing of that sort happened, after which she decided to come forward. The second woman was sexually assaulted in a similar manner last Oct. However, she managed to get hold of Ghosh's number and contacted him," said Chatterjee. Both victims had no prior knowledge of modelling and reside on the northern and southern fringes of the city.
Ghosh took the two victims to Jadavpur PS and got their statements registered. "Though the incidents did not happen in the KP area, we did not wish to create more trouble for the victims. We registered the FIR here and carried out the arrest," said a senior officer at Lalbazar.
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