eBay sex video sparks alert
2004-12-19 12:23
New Delhi - The United States is closely following the case of an Indian-born US businessman arrested after an Indian internet auction site owned by US-based eBay sold a student sex video, an embassy spokesperson said on Sunday.
Avnish Bajaj, country manager of Baazee.com, was arrested after video compact discs showing a teenage girl and boy from a well-known Delhi private school engaged in oral sex were sold via his auction site.
"The US embassy is following this case very closely and there is high level of interest in Washington regarding this case," the spokesperson said.
"Consistent with normal consular practices the hearing Saturday was attended by a US consular official," she said referring to Bajaj's court appearance in New Delhi a day after his arrest.
Police said Bajaj was booked under the Indian Information Technology Act which prohibits transmission and sale of obscene data electronically.
The students' sex act was filmed using a mobile phone camera and the images were then circulated to others. The discs were made by an engineering student at an elite university and put on sale on Baazee.com.
'Private pornography' not illegal
Public transmission and sale of pornography is a crime in India but possession of pornography and viewing it in private is not.
On Saturday, a New Delhi city court ordered Bajaj to remain in custody for a week, saying the alleged offence did not warrant the granting of bail.
Baazee.com in a statement released late on Saturday confirmed that Bajaj had been "sent to judicial custody till December 24".
It said the company was "outraged that the police have objected to the release of Avnish Bajaj".
"Baazee.com is an online marketplace - a trading platform that offers buyers and sellers an opportunity to transact. Unlike a retailer, Baazee.com does not own or sell any of the goods that are listed on the site," it added.
If convicted, Bajaj could be jailed for up to five years, fined the equivalent of $2 220 or both, police said.