Delhi man held for blackmailing woman with obscene content online

The Delhi Police has arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly blackmailing a woman by sharing her private images and videos on social media, an official said on Sunday.

The accused was identified as Prabhat Chaudhary alias Piyush, a resident of Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh.

“He had no previous criminal record and is currently unemployed,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Bhisham Singh said in a statement.

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The officer said the matter came to light after a man named Priyanshu Mawana filed a complaint stating that a man known to him had sent him sexually explicit images and videos of his sister through social media.

The accused was using the images and videos to blackmail his sister and had threatened to make them public unless his personal demands were fulfilled, Mawana told the police.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered, and further investigation was taken up.

“Initially, the team raided the accused’s given address in Bulandshahr but found that he no longer resided there. His digital activities were thoroughly analysed. Eventually, the accused was tracked down and apprehended,” said the DCP.

Police said he is a close relative of the complainant. Piyush used multiple social media accounts and deliberately kept his mobile phone switched off to evade detection. To further cover his tracks, he sent the explicit content using the “view once” feature, making it difficult for the recipient to save or forward the material.

Upon his arrest, one mobile phone used in the commission of the crime was recovered from his possession. During sustained interrogation, Chaudhary admitted to his involvement in the offence. He told investigators that he had sent the obscene material to the complainant to blackmail his sister and pressure her into fulfilling his personal demands,” said the DCP.

Chaudhary is unmarried and not formally employed. During questioning, he claimed to be facing financial difficulties and admitted that he acted out of frustration and personal motives. Police are verifying these claims.

Further investigation is in progress, police added.