A 23-year-old hairdresser and grocery delivery worker was arrested in Noida for allegedly forcing a woman to undress at knifepoint while threatening her children, recording explicit videos, and then blackmailing her for over two months—a case that highlights the vulnerability of women to predatory behavior in everyday service interactions.
The July Attack: Knife to Child’s Throat
Police said the incident happened in July at the woman’s Greater Noida apartment, where the accused, Gaurav, delivered milk and other household goods. The woman claimed Gaurav harassed her for over two months with the photos before she called the emergency police helpline on Sept 2, allegedly after he uploaded some of her photos online and shared them with her husband, who works in Ahmedabad.
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According to the cops, Gaurav visited the women’s flat, apparently saying he wanted to talk to her, on July 10. The FIR states that once he was in the house, he pulled out a knife and held it to the neck of her son, who was sleeping. The woman claimed that Gaurav threatened to kill the boy if she resisted and forced her to undress while he recorded videos and took photos.
Victim’s Testimony: Threats Against Children
The woman, in her statement, said, “When I refused, he threatened to kill my children. He said he would throw my daughter into a drain. Fearing for their lives, I complied”. This chilling testimony reveals the calculated nature of the assault, where the perpetrator deliberately exploited a mother’s protective instincts to coerce compliance.
Two-Month Campaign of Blackmail and Intimidation
Gaurav then allegedly began blackmailing her, repeatedly visiting her flat and warning her not to go to the police. On one occasion, he allegedly scaled her fourth-floor flat’s balcony at night. On Sept 2, when he sent the videos to her husband, uploaded some clips on social media and showed up at her door around 6am, the woman the called cops.
The escalation pattern shows how the initial assault transformed into sustained psychological terror. The accused’s willingness to climb to a fourth-floor balcony demonstrates the lengths to which he went to maintain control over his victim. The final act of sharing the videos with the woman’s husband and posting them on social media represents the culmination of a calculated campaign designed to destroy her personal relationships and social standing.
Arrest and Legal Proceedings
An officer at Surajpur police station said Gaurav fled before police reached his house but he was later and arrested. “He was booked under BNS sections 76 (assault or use of criminal force with intent to disrobe) and 351 (3) (criminal intimidation), along with provisions of IT Act. His phone has been seized,” the officer said. Police are checking if he had targeted others.
The investigation’s scope suggests authorities suspect this may not be an isolated incident. The seizure of Gaurav’s phone will likely reveal additional evidence and potentially identify other victims. The charges under both traditional criminal law and information technology statutes reflect the multi-faceted nature of modern crimes that combine physical assault with digital exploitation.