Nashik teen held for blackmailing Panvel girl with private photos

The accused – identified as Siraj Ahmed Abid Ali Chaudhary – befriended the girl on Snapchat around seven months ago

Navi Mumbai: A 19-year-old man from Nashik was arrested on Thursday after he allegedly blackmailed a 13-year-old girl using her nude photos and demanded ₹50,000. The accused – identified as Siraj Ahmed Abid Ali Chaudhary – befriended the girl on Snapchat around seven months ago.

HT Image

The girl, a Class 8 student from Panvel, used her mother’s phone to use Snapchat, a police officer said, adding, “Chaudhary and the girl eventually started chatting on WhatsApp as well. Over the next few months, the boy started threatening the girl that he would reveal their relationship to her parents and to avoid the same, she would have to send her nude pictures to him. Fearing that her parents would learn about the relationship, she shared her nude photos with him.”

After receiving the nude photos and videos of the victim, the accused came to Panvel from Nashik to meet the girl, the officer added. “He then threatened the girl with her nude photos and forcibly grabbed her hand and took a selfie with her. Chaudhary then sent her photos to the victim’s cousin brother and demanded ₹50,000. Since he did not receive the money, he created a fake Instagram ID and uploaded the girl’s nude photos,” he added.

The 17-year-old cousin brother then narrated the entire incident to the girl’s family. The girl’s parents then approached the Panvel police station and registered a case against Chaudhary. A police team was dispatched and a technical investigation revealed that the accused lived in Bharat Nagar, Nashik. He was then arrested from his residence.

“The accused originally belonged to Uttar Pradesh and his family has been settled in Nashik for 16 years. Parents should keep a close watch on the activities of children when they are entrusted with smartphones. The girls often fall prey to the tactics of older boys. The parents need to keep a tab on the activities of their boys as well or else they might land up in jail,” police inspector (crime) Jagdish Shelkar said.

The case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and Information Technology Act (IT Act) against Chaudhary along with charges of molestation, extortion and threats.