GVM's heroine gets rape threats; 12 fans of Kannada actor arrested; complaint against 43 social media accounts

BENGALURU: The number of people arrested in the case of sending vulgar messages to Kannada actress and former MP Ramya has reached 12. All those arrested are fans of actor Darshan who is in jail. The police have started an investigation to find the others involved.

Ramya had lodged a police complaint against 43 social media accounts. The accused had even threatened Ramya with rape.

The police had earlier arrested nine people from Bengaluru, Vijayapura, Chitradurga and other districts in connection with the case. The latest three arrests were made in the north Karnataka region. The accused worked in small establishments.

The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has collected data regarding 10 more social media accounts and started searching for their users. Some of the accused are absconding, while many others have gone into hiding after deleting their posts. However, the police have received sufficient information and are conducting a vigorous hunt for them.

Darshan's fans targeted Ramya for sharing a post about the murder of a fan and suggesting that justice be served.

Ramya had said, “I shared news about the Supreme Court's development regarding actor Darshan's bail petition to give hope to common people about justice. After that, the trolling began. I have filed this complaint as a voice for women.”

“I have lodged a complaint against 43 social media accounts. Some of them even threatened me with rape. If this can happen to me, what about others? Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh has assured me of action and has transferred the case to the Cyber Crime Wing. Women have the same freedom as men. Actor Darshan should have asked his fans not to post such messages,” she added.

“As celebrities and public figures, we must follow the law and set an example for others. Earlier, superstars Yash and Kichcha Sudeep were also targeted online. I had raised the issue back then, too. Had action been taken earlier, things might not have escalated to this level,” she said.