81-Year-old Noida Man Held For Digitally Raping Minor For 7 Years. What Does The Term Mean?

he family of the victim knew the accused for several years and had sent their daughter to live with him and seek education in the city.

Noida: An 81-year-old sketch artist was held by the police in Noida for committing ‘digital rape’ with a 17-year-old for over seven years, reported news agency PTI. The family of the victim knew the accused for several years and had sent their daughter to live with him and seek education in the city. The minor was being sexually exploited by the man ever since.

The girl was initially scared of protesting but in the last one month she began to make videos of the sexual advances – mainly as audio files – made by the man towards her. She then shared the recorded evidences with a woman living with the man, who then lodged a complaint with the Noida police.

“Accused Maurice Ryder has been arrested after an FIR was lodged against him under Indian Penal Code Sections 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation). He is accused of digital rape of a 17-year-old girl over the last seven years,” said a police spokesperson, reported PTI.

What is ‘Digital rape’?

According to reports, digital rape means having forced sex with a woman/girl using any object other than the reproductive organ. In English dictionary, finger, thumb and toe are addressed as ‘digit’. Hence, the act has been named as ‘digital rape’.

As per a report in DNA, digital rape was considered as molestation until 2013, however, after the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape incident in Delhi, new rape laws were passed in the Parliament which stated that any forced penetration will come into the ambit of the anti-rape law.

The law states that the offender can be sentenced to at least five years in jail, while in certain cases, the punishment may go on till 10 years or even imply life imprisonment.

Around 70 per cent of the cases are committed by near and dear ones.