TikTok fame Chippada Bhargav, also called Funbucket Bhargav, has been arrested by the Andhra police for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl in Visakhapatnam. The police went to Hyderabad to arrest the accused and have booked him under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act along with other sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Bhargav shot to popularity with comic TikTok videos that had the "Oh my God! Oh my God!" line which was picked up by several brands, including Twitter, Netflix and Swiggy. The sexual assault came to light when the survivor's family member lodged a complaint with the Pendurthi police station under the Visakhapatnam commissionerate on April 16. The complaint was filed after the family came to know that the survivor is four months pregnant. The accused was subsequently arrested by the Andhra police in Kompally, Hyderabad.
Apart from the POCSO Act, the police said that a case has been booked against Bhargav under section 376 (Punishment for sexual assault), 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman) of the Indian Penal Code. Following this, the accused was arrested and brought to Visakhapatnam.
Speaking to TNM, police personnel from Pendurthi said that they arrested the accused in Hyderabad, and since it's a POCSO case, they have transferred it to the Disha Police in Visakhapatnam. Disha police stations were set up to investigate crimes against women and children in Andhra Pradesh after the horrific gangrape and murder of a Hyderabad-based vet in 2019.
In a press meet, Disha Assistant Commissioner of Police Prem Kajal said that the accused had promised the survivor offers in media channels after seeing her in TikTok videos.
"He had proposed to the survivor and she had rejected him. But he blackmailed her saying he had her explicit videos. The survivor is also pregnant," she said.
The ACP also said that the accused had been produced before the Judicial Magistrate and has been sent to judicial remand till May 3. A white-coloured Nissan vehicle and the mobile phone of the accused have been seized by the police.
The police have warned people against sharing the survivor's photo on social media and said that strict action would be taken against them.
Watch: Disha ACP Prem Kajal's press meet on Bhargav's arrest