Mumbai: Man Befriends Minor on Snapchat, Blackmails Her With Obscene Photos Obtained Via Snapchat

In a shocking incident, a minor girl was allegedly sexually harassed after an accused, who befriended her on Snapchat just 11 days prior, obtained her obscene photographs. The accused reportedly threatened to viral the victim's inappropriate pictures and even sent them to her father. A case has been registered against the accused at the Antop Hill Police Station.

Social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat are proving to be increasingly dangerous for minor girls. Cases of individuals befriending girls, coercing them into sharing obscene photos, and subsequently blackmailing and sexually harassing them based on these pictures are on the rise. A similar incident recently came to light in the Antop Hill area.

The victim, a 15-year-old girl, became the target of this crime. On May 30, her father received a call from an unknown individual who threatened him, stating, "I have obscene pictures of your 15-year-old daughter. If your daughter does not stop talking to a boy named Ayush, I will make her pictures viral." Following this threat, the person sent three obscene photographs and one obscene video of the girl to her father. This left the father in utter shock. He pleaded with the individual not to viral his daughter's pictures and assured him that he would talk to his daughter.

Upon questioning his daughter, the father learned that the victim had befriended a boy named Arjun on Snapchat on May 19. Arjun then engaged her in conversation and, taking advantage of her innocence, coerced her into providing her obscene photographs and video. When the girl, in front of her father, called Arjun, the accused again threatened to viral her obscene pictures.

The girl's father subsequently lodged a complaint at the Antop Hill Police Station. Based on the complaint, the police have registered a case against the accused, Arjun, under Sections 66(E), 67, and 67(A) of the Information Technology Act.