The Delhi Police has arrested a 25-year-old man for allegedly creating fake profiles of a Class 8 student, sending her obscene messages and posting her morphed nude photographs on social media.
Police said that the accused, identified as Bharat Khatar, wanted to take revenge with the class 8 girl after being rebuked by her for allegedly harassing her friend, whom he had met on social media, in a similar manner.
Khatar did his graduation in B.Com Honours from Delhi University via correspondence and had been working with an event management company for the last two years, said police.
According to Atul Kumar Thakur, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South district, an investigation was initiated on the complaint of the minor girl's mother who alleged that her daughter's fake Instagram profile was created by the accused.
“She told the police that the accused had been sending her daughter obscene posts, messages and photographs from the fake profile and stalking her,” said the DCP.
“A case was registered at K M Pur police station under section 354 D (stalking), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 354 A (sexual harassment and punishment for sexual harassment) and other relevant section of the POCSO Act,” said the DCP.
“As part of investigation, letters were sent to Facebook, seeking details about the fake Instagram account. According to technical inputs, the investigating team analysed the IPs and zeroed in on the suspect, he said. After due verification, the accused was apprehended from his residence at NIT colony in Faridabad on Thursday,” said the DCP.
“Investigations revealed that at first the accused targeted the victim's friend after contacting her through social media. He sent her obscene messages, following which she had heated arguments with him via Whatsapp calls. She then narrated the entire incident to the Class 8 girl who rebuked the accused and warned him about not indulging in such acts,” said the DCP.
“To take revenge from the Class 8 girl, he created three fake accounts in her name on Instagram and posted her morphed nude photographs on those accounts. The accused also asked for sexual favours in order to delete the photographs,” said the DCP.
“During interrogation, the accused disclosed that earlier he had a heated argument with the victim's friend on Instagram. To take revenge from the Class 8 girl, he created her fake profiles on Instagram. Thereafter, he sent her abusive contents, nude pictures, threatened and abused her,” said the DCP.
“The Faridabad Cyber Police Station has also lodged a case earlier against the accused for creating a fake profile of another girl. Two mobile phones used to create fake profiles have also been recovered from the accused,” said the DCP.