The woman, Safna, had reportedly befriended the 30 year old victim, with hearing and speech impairment, through Instagram.
Over time, she built a rapport with him through chats and they planned to meet. The man suggested meeting at a beach but the woman invited him to a hotel near the South Bridge in Panampilly Nagar on February 22.
When the victim arrived at the hotel around 6.30 pm, the other gang members were already lying in wait. Some of them hid in the bathroom, and others arrived shortly after from outside.
“The gang's primary goal was to film the man in compromising positions with Safna to use the footage for blackmail. When the man valiantly resisted their demands to strip and engage in sexual acts, the encounter turned violent.
According to the FIR, when the man refused to obey, the gang forcefully stripped him, repeatedly punched the victim in the face and kicked him in the back.
One assailant used a heavy torch to strike his palm and tried to hit his head. Fortunately, he blocked the strike on the head with his hand, resulting in injuries.
“The accused gained access to the victim's Google Pay account in an attempt to drain his funds; however, they found the account lacked a significant balance.
Despite his resistance, the gang forcibly took nude photographs of the man before he was able to escape. We have seized the phones, but the images have been deleted. We are trying to recover them,” said police.
The victim, who is currently being treated for spinal injuries, reported the matter on February 24. Due to his speech and hearing impairment, the police sought the help of a sign language expert to record his detailed statement.
The accused are Safna of North Paravur, John Rahul of Vytilla, Amal of Irumpanam and Anand of Maradu
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