Balangir/Sonepur, June 29: The mastermind behind the porn MMS clip scandal, which has rocked Sonepur, was nabbed today by the Sonepur police from Balangir.

The accused, Pratap Dwari of Chuadapali in Balangir district, was remanded in judicial custody after his bail plea had been rejected in a Balangir court today.

Police said Sujata (name changed) of Sonepur had allegedly had an affair with Pratap. They had met in Bhubaneswar, when the girl was there to take some training. They had even reportedly got married at the Ram temple in the capital city and lived like a married couple. The two families, however, never had an inkling about the episode.

Police said taking advantage of some weaker moments of the girl, Pratap had allegedly recorded some of their intimate moments on his mobile phone. Later, Pratap got married to another girl without informing the victim.

When Sujata came to know about Pratap’s second marriage, she protested. Pratap had then allegedly threatened her to remain quiet, else he would release the porn clip. After a few days, Pratap had sent the clip to some of his friends, who allegedly circulated it, after which the girl lodged a formal complaint with the police against Pratap.

Following the complaint, police laid a trap for the accused through the girl. He was called to a Shiva temple in Balangir for a compromise on the matter. When the accused arrived there, police reached there in plain clothes and took him into custody.

Inspector in-charge of the Sonepur police station Dhiraj Chopdar said, “We have arrested the culprit from Balangir. We have registered a case under Section 417, 493, 506, 292 of the Indian Penal Code under Section 76 and 72 of the IT act and under the indecent representation against the Women Act.”

He was forwarded to court and later remanded in judicial custody after his bail plea had been rejected,” Chopdaar said.