Thiruvananthapuram, 24 July (H.S.):Police have registered a total of five First Information Reports (FIRs) against Abel Augustine, an MBBS student of the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, in connection with the alleged morphing and circulation of images of fellow students on social media. The accused is expected to be produced before a court on Friday, while investigators are planning to seek his custodial interrogation to probe the case further.

The latest action follows a series of fresh complaints from women students, prompting police to register additional FIRs. Authorities said more complaints have been received in recent days, indicating that the alleged offences may have affected several students.

Abel Augustine, a third-year MBBS student from Wayanad, is accused of morphing photographs of his classmates and senior students and circulating the manipulated images through Instagram. The case first came to light after one of the victims lodged a complaint with the Medical College Police. Although he was arrested in the initial case, the accused was subsequently granted bail by a local court.

Following his release, more students approached the police alleging that they too had been targeted. Initially, police maintained that all the complaints stemmed from the same pattern of alleged criminal activity and therefore did not warrant separate FIRs. However, after examining the fresh complaints, police registered additional cases, taking the total number of FIRs to five.

The handling of the complaints had earlier sparked protests by students, who accused the police of failing to act promptly despite receiving multiple complaints. They also alleged that victims were made to wait for several hours at the police station without their statements being recorded.

The protest, supported by student organisations, continued late into the night, increasing pressure on the police to register the additional cases.

Investigators are now expected to seek the accused's custody for detailed questioning as the probe expands and more complainants come forward.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman