A 20-year-old college student from Gujarat’s Banaskantha district endured repeated rape by seven individuals over 16 months, coerced through blackmail involving a nude video, police revealed on Wednesday. The horrific ordeal began in November 2023, shortly after she enrolled at a college in Palanpur, and continued until February 2025.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed on March 10, the student met one of the accused, Vishal Chaudhary, via Instagram in 2023. That November, he lured her to a hotel for breakfast, deliberately spilled food on her dress, and escorted her to a room under the guise of helping her clean up.

There, as she changed in the bathroom, Chaudhary forcibly entered and recorded her nude. When she resisted, he threatened to leak the video online, including on Instagram.

The FIR details how Chaudhary used this clip to force her into physical relations with him and six others—five identified and one unknown—at various locations over the 16-month period. The prolonged abuse ended only when the student mustered the courage to report it to Palanpur taluka police.

A case was promptly registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for repeated rape and criminal intimidation, alongside Section 67 of the IT Act for transmitting obscene material electronically.

Police are now actively pursuing the accused, with an official from Palanpur taluka station confirming efforts to apprehend them.

The case underscores the dark intersection of social media and sexual exploitation, spotlighting the vulnerability of young women to digital coercion. As investigations unfold, authorities aim to deliver justice to the survivor, whose identity remains protected.