Ex-househelp blackmails Khar couple with private photos, booked

Police officials said the househelp had committed a theft at his employer’s house six years ago and had stolen the photographs along with some valuables and was using the photographs to blackmail the couple

Mumbai A Khar-based couple has approached the police after their ex-house help tried to extort money by using photographs of their intimate moments.

The couple, which resides in Khar west, has two children. The family owns a hospital. (HT File)

Police officials said the househelp had committed a theft at his employer’s house six years ago and had stolen the photographs along with some valuables and was using the photographs to blackmail the couple. The police have registered an extortion case against him and are trying to trace him.

The couple, which resides in Khar west, has two children. The family owns a hospital.

According to the Khar Police, the complainant woman, a 39-year-old housewife, informed them that between 2012 and 2016, Ziyabuddin Abdul Aziz was employed at their house and was once pulled over some issues. Hence, in order to take the revenge and teach them a lesson, in 2016, Aziz allegedly stole valuables from their house and escaped. The couple had then filed a police complaint against him.

On Sunday, the complainant received a message from an unknown mobile number. The sender also sent some of her private photographs with her husband, the First Information Report (FIR) stated. Not believing her eyes, the complainant opened the safe in which the photographs were kept and realised that the private photos were not there. This is when she realised that their private photographs were stolen and informed her husband about it and then called the sender.

“The caller identified himself as Aziz and demanded money from the complainant for not sharing the private photographs with their relatives and friends. Since the complainant knew that Aziz knew their relatives and contacts, she requested him not to share the photographs with anyone. Aziz demanded huge money for this and hung up,” another police officer said.

The complainant couple was disturbed and approached the police the same day.

“The accused had stolen the private photographs six years ago and tried to use the same for extorting from the couple. We suspect that he could be in Bihar. We have registered the case and further investigating the matter,” said inspector Mahadeo Nimbalkar, in-charge of Khar police station.