Man held for stalking, blackmailing woman using morphed photos

Hyderabad: A 24-year-old man has been arrested by the cyber crime unit of Hyderabad police for allegedly stalking, blackmailing, and attempting to extort money from a 21-year-old woman by using morphed photos and a fake Instagram account.

The accused has been identified as H Akul Singh, a private employee residing in Mehdipatnam. He is accused of creating a fake Instagram ID. Through this account, he sent obscene, edited images of the victim and her husband before their marriage.

The harassment escalated when the victim later received another morphed image, this time involving her sister. The accused then began a conversation with the victim, claiming to personally know her, and soon started threatening to leak the edited images online. He demanded money to prevent the photos from being shared and to ‘protect’ her marriage.

Feeling distressed, the victim confided in a relative, who was also her ex-fiancé. He suggested she negotiate with the blackmailer and offered temporary financial assistance.

A fabricated Axis Bank transaction statement was then sent to the victim, showing a fake transfer of Rs 6 lakh. However, even after the fake confirmation, the accused continued to threaten and harass the woman.

The victim also suspected that some of the images used by the accused were private photos she had never shared publicly, raising concerns about a potential data breach or closer connection with the accused.

Based on the complaint, a case was registered under sections 78, 79, 308(2), and 336(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

During the investigation, police seized one mobile phone used in the crime.