Sikkim woman alleges obscene WhatsApp video call; police launch probe

A female resident of Sikkim's Tadong was taken aback after receiving an obscene video call on WhatsApp, where an unknown person allegedly exposed himself. 

On May 30, at approximately 8:03 pm, the 31-year-old woman from Amdogaoli, Tadong, filed a written First Information Report (FIR) at Sadar Police Station. 

According to her complaint, the episode began the previous day, May 29 at around 8:59 am, when she received multiple video calls from an unknown number, via WhatsApp. Initially, she ignored the calls, assuming they were unimportant. However, when the caller persisted, making another attempt at 9:03 am, she answered, mistaking it for a call from a co-worker. To her shock, the caller displayed his private parts on the screen. 

“I was horrified,” the victim said in her statement to the police. “I thought it was someone I knew, but what I saw was completely unacceptable. No one should have to go through this.”

The woman confided in her friend, who took it upon himself to confront the perpetrator. Upon calling, the friend challenged the caller, saying, “Don’t you feel ashamed, making video calls to women and showing such things?” According to the FIR, the unidentified individual responded dismissively with, “Haan Haan Haan,”. On being warned that legal action would follow, the caller abruptly ended the conversation.

The incident was then reported to the Sadar Police Station, leading to the registration of an FIR under sections 75 and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which address sexual harassment and outraging the modesty of a woman, respectively. The case also invokes section 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which pertains to the transmission of sexually explicit content. The investigation has been assigned to an officer at Sadar Police Station, with efforts underway to trace the unknown perpetrator.