A man was sentenced to prison for stalking 121 people and terrorizing them.
Vishaal Vijapura, 28, pleaded guilty to seven counts of stalking and was sentenced Monday at Croydon Crown Court.
However, the actual number of victims could have been significantly more than 121.
Vijapura, of Shirley in Croydon, has frequently shared photographs of the victims from their personal social media pages.
Along with this, captions would claim that they liked outrageous sexual fulfillment and would reveal their personal information, advocating serious sexual assault against them.
Many of his victims received direct texts from him regarding disgusting and sexualized things.
Evidence suggested that after locating his targets online, he would pay for online services to obtain their full names, addresses, and contact information.
He even paid an ancestry website in certain cases to gather more comprehensive personal information on the victims and their families.
In January 2021, police were made aware of a list Vijapura had released including personal information on multiple women, as well as a letter seeking to justify raping them.
A massive police investigation ensued, spanning 16 force regions.
Vijapura was detained on January 28, 2017, and then released on bail with restrictions while his electronic gadgets were examined.
During the police investigation, more victims were discovered.
On March 19 of that year, he was detained for a new offense, and it was revealed that he had violated his bail conditions.
The Crown Prosecution Service authorized the charges after victims supplied evidence and impact testimonies to prove Vijapura’s overarching stalking behavior against the 121 known victims.
Vijapura was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison, as well as a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Detective inspector Paul Smith, from the South Area Public Protection Unit, said, ‘The dedication and commitment from the officers working on the case, with national support from colleagues across the UK, has meant that Vijapura can no longer put these victims at fear of violence. Some of the victims police have contacted were too scared to venture out alone after the threats received from Vijapura.
‘The internet is now a safer place with future proofing against ongoing offending from this man in the form of a custodial sentence. This kind of criminality is dangerous and offensive and will absolutely not be tolerated.
‘The victims in the case have shown great strength in coming forward. They have supported the investigation and provided evidence of how Vijapura’s misogynistic behaviour has deeply affected their lives. it is wholly right that he has received a custodial sentence.’
Anyone with additional information regarding this case should contact the police at 101.