‘I f***ed up': Indian-origin professor tried to meet 14-year-old for sex in California
Footage that has been widely shared on social media shows members of the group confronting the professor at a supermarket, where he had apparently planned to meet the 14-year-old. The professor did not realise he had been speaking to activists pretending to be the teenager on the Grindr app. He looked visibly shaken when confronted and claimed to feel 'dreadful' about the situation.
HT.com has reached out to UCSD and the professor in question. This story will be updated on receiving a response.
'I feel horrible'
Activist Tim Johnson – who claims to have unmasked over 500 child predators – was seen questioning the professor outside the supermarket. 'You understand what a child is, right? How are you feeling right now?' Johnson asked the UCSD professor.
'I feel horrible. This is the worst I have ever felt,' he replied. 'What I did was frankly abhorrent'.
During the conversation, the Indian-origin professor expressed remorse multiple times. He admitted to carrying lubricant and a douche in his backpack.
'I f***ed up,' he said at one point. 'I need to get help or something'.
Police refuse to arrest suspect
The video then showed San Diego Police Department patrol cars arriving at the scene. Officers, however, refused to arrest the suspect. Speaking to the activists behind the sting operation, a police officer explained: 'You guys are not law enforcement. So based on that, I am not allowed to arrest him.'
'What's going to happen is his phone is going to be taken as evidence. And then this is going to get referred to Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), which is a task force. A report is going to be taken and it's going to be sent to an officer over there,' the officer explained.
In a statement to SanDiegoVille, SDPD Lt. Travis Easter said: 'We are aware of the incident and our ICAC unit is actively investigating it. There have not been any charges made as of yet. Our ICAC unit will typically not work with civilians acting as undercover operatives and does not condone such activities because the training involved to conduct these investigations consists of hours of intense legal training. Without that training, well-meaning civilians not only endanger themselves, but also the person they are contacting, as well as the general public.'
HT.com has reached out to the San Diego Police Department. This copy will be updated on receiving a response.
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