Noida: Delivery boy turns predator; forces woman to strip at knifepoint

NOIDA: A 23-year-old hairdresser who also delivers groceries was arrested Thursday for allegedly forcing a customer to strip by pointing a knife at her son, recording her explicit pictures and videos, and later blackmailing her.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. 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.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."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.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.