Make-up artist arrested for blackmailing Kannada actress: Report

The accused allegedly told the actress he would leak her private photos and videos.

Bengaluru police arrested a 37-year-old man on Tuesday for allegedly blackmailing a Kannada actress, reported The Hindu. The accused allegedly told the actress he would leak her private photos and videos.

He allegedly accessed - without consent - private pictures and videos from the actress' mobile phone.

According to the report, the accused - Mahentesh Basavaraju - used to work as a make-up artist. He allegedly accessed - without consent - private pictures and videos from the actress' mobile phone.

The actress then started receiving threatening messages from the accused asking her to pay him ₹30 lakh. She was told the pictures and videos would be released on the internet if she failed to pay. The actress initially ignored the messages but Mahentesh sent her a sample of the private photos and videos to prove he had them.

He even set a deadline to pay the demanded amount.

After continuous harassment from the accused, the actress filed a police complaint based on her WhatsApp chats. Bengaluru Police's cybercrime unit tracked the number and arrested the accused, who is a resident of the city’s Bhuvaneshwari Nagar.

The report also said that the mobile had been seized and it was sent to the forensic science laboratory to find out whether he had committed similar crimes before.