Tripura influencer arrested after woman alleges rape over ‘iPhone gift’ promise in Agartala

A social media content creator and mobile shop owner was arrested in Tripura after a tribal woman accused him of raping and assaulting her in a hotel room in Agartala after allegedly luring her with the promise of gifting her an expensive iPhone, police said on Sunday.

According to police, the accused was formally arrested late Saturday night under Sections 65(1) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused was later produced before a court, Amtali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Inspector Paritosh Das confirmed.

Police said the accused, a resident of Kamalpur in Dhalai district, allegedly came in contact with the woman through Facebook a few months ago. The two reportedly remained in regular touch through social media before the incident.

As per the complaint filed by the survivor, the accused allegedly convinced her to travel to Agartala and promised to gift her a costly iPhone. The woman had reportedly reached Agartala by train on Saturday morning to buy medicines.

Investigators said the accused picked her up from Badharghat Railway Station on a high-end motorcycle and allegedly took her to a hotel near the station instead of the location initially discussed.

The survivor alleged that the accused raped her inside the hotel room and assaulted her when she resisted. She also claimed that the accused took away her mobile phone before leaving and later threatened her with serious consequences.

After managing to leave the hotel, the woman approached the West Agartala Women Police Station and lodged a written complaint.

Police said a team led by Inspector Shiuli Das carried out a raid at the accused’s mobile phone shop near the Laxminarayan Bari area in Agartala on Saturday night and detained him.

According to police sources, the accused owns two mobile phone shops in Agartala, including outlets near Siddhi Ashram and Laxminarayan Bari. He is also locally known as a social media content creator. Officials said he is married and has children and was living in the Gangail Road area of the city.

Police further alleged that after being brought to the police station, the accused tried to intimidate officers by referring to his influence and connections.

Inspector Paritosh Das said the accused was later handed over to Amtali Police Station, where he was formally arrested around 2 am on Sunday.

Police have registered the case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and further investigation is underway.

With ANI inputs