Abu Sama, an independent candidate contesting in the prestigious Nagaon parliamentary constituency in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, has been arrested on charges of sexual harassment, blackmailing, and extortion of money from a female resident of the Juria area. Sama was apprehended by Juria police on Saturday evening and presented before a local court, which promptly remanded him to judicial custody. Reports indicate that Sama, who was allegedly operating an unauthorized pharmacy at Juria Bazar, had circulated a sexually explicit video involving the female victim on social media a few days prior to his arrest.
According to sources, the victim had filed a First Information Report (FIR) with the office of the Superintendent of Police, Nagaon, accusing Sama of sexual harassment and extortion. The victim claimed that Sama had coerced her into giving him large sums of money over several installments under threat of dire consequences. It was alleged that Sama had administered medication to the victim without her consent during her visit to his pharmacy, and subsequently filmed her in a compromised state. He then reportedly used these videos to blackmail and harass the victim.
In a related development, two local journalists from digital media outlets, Saddam Hussain and Khairul Islam, were also arrested by Juria police on charges of blackmail and extortion on the same evening. Sources indicate that the journalists had broadcasted a news report detailing another instance of sexual harassment and blackmail allegedly perpetrated by Abu Sama a few days prior. In retaliation, Sama filed an FIR against both journalists, alleging that they had demanded money from him in exchange for not publishing the news on their respective digital media platforms.
