Syed Ali Shah:
A local court in Quetta convicted a key accused involved in the making of immoral and illicit videos of 200 victim girls the other day.
Hidayat Khilji Sentenced to Six Years in Prison:
Police sources said the court sentenced Hidayat Khilji, the key accused in the famous Quetta Video Scandal to six years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 1 million.
Khalilullah Khilji also Convicted and Fined:
Khilji’s brother, Khalilullah Khilji was also awarded an imprisonment of 3 years in the same case, police said. He was fined Rs.5 lakh in the case.
It was a high-profile video scandal in the history of not only Quetta but Balochistan, but none of the affected girls came forward as witnesses, by working hard, we were able to get these accused to be punished by the court, the Investigation Officer of this high-profile case told Daily Quetta Voice. He requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
The famous Quetta Video Scandal came into the limelight when a mother approached the police station for the registration of a case against the accused for making immoral videos of her daughter in December 2021.
Anonymity Requested by Investigation Officer:
On the condition of anonymity, he told the Daily Quetta Voice that although none of the victim girls came forward as witnesses, we presented enough evidence in the court on the basis of which they were convicted of the crime.
Convictions Without Witness Testimonies:
“We tried our level best to get the accused punished in the case”, the Investigation Officer mentioned.
The two accused who were convicted in this scandal were brothers, one of whom was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of Rs 10 lakh and the other to three years in prison and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.
Origins of the Quetta Video Scandal:
The official said that the accused used to call the girls to them from various sources and give them drugs and then blackmail them by making highly objectionable videos and pictures of them after unconsciousness.
Victims Lured and Blackmailed:
“Though hundreds of videos were recovered from the accused, our investigation revealed that they had made around 200 objectionable videos of girls, he revealed.”
Exemplary Punishment Advocated:
Organizations working to protect human rights, including women’s rights, and social workers have described the punishment given to the accused as insufficient. “This is insufficient, the accused had to be given exemplary punishment”, Hameeda Hazara, a woman, and human rights activist said, observing reservations about the judgment.
What was revealed in the investigation of the video scandal, which is considered to be the most high-profile in the history of Balochistan, will be mentioned later, but first of all, how did the video scandal come to light?
Protests for Stricter Sentencing:
Various human and women rights groups had staged protest demonstrations to mount pressure on the police to award exemplary and strict punishment to the accused involved in the scandal.
