The Goregaon Police have arrested a man identified as Sanjayraj Vishwakarma for allegedly abetting the suicide of his woman friend by blackmailing her and threatening to circulate her morphed obscene photographs on social media. He has been remanded to police custody by the court.
According to police, the victim, who lived with her family in Goregaon and was pursuing her education, had been in regular contact with the accused. The two frequently spoke for long hours through WhatsApp and phone calls. When her parents became aware of this, they advised her to maintain distance, but she continued to stay in touch with him.
Over the past few weeks, the victim had reportedly been under severe mental stress. When her mother questioned her, the victim revealed that Sanjayraj had taken her to a friend’s event where he clicked several photos of her. He later edited those images to create obscene photographs and used them to blackmail her for money, threatening to make the photos viral on social media.
Despite giving him money on multiple occasions, the accused continued to threaten her. The victim had earlier lodged a complaint with the police, after which officers warned the accused to stay away from her. However, the trauma and continuous mental harassment allegedly pushed her deeper into depression.
On 15 November, the victim died by suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence.
Following her death, her parents approached the Goregaon Police once again, leading to a fresh FIR against the accused. He has been booked for threatening to circulate obscene photos, blackmailing, extortion and abetment of suicide. The police arrested him on Friday and produced him before a Borivali court on Saturday, which granted police custody.