Cyberstalker held for blackmailing Jharkhand woman, threatening her with acid attack

Thane, Jun 5 (PTI) Police have nabbed a 25-year-old Jharkhand man residing in Mumbai for allegedly blackmailing a woman by making her personal photographs viral on social media and threatening her with acid attack after she stopped all communication, an official said on Thursday.

The Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police's Crime Branch Unit I of Thane district apprehended the accused, Imamul Haq Hasanul Hoda, on Wednesday in the 2022 case, he said.

According to a police release, "The accused befriended the complainant through Facebook and Instagram by providing false information. He gradually obtained personal photos of the victim and later began to harass and threaten her." The woman, who also hails from Jharkhand, stopped all communication, but the accused circulated her photos on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to defame her. He also issued threats of acid attack and murder, it said.

The case, originally registered at the Doranda police station in Jharkhand capital Ranchi, invoked IPC sections related to stalking, criminal intimidation (FIR was filed before new criminal code BNS came into force) and relevant provisions of the IT Act.

"Since the case was registered, the accused was evading arrest and continued harassing the woman using multiple fake accounts," the release noted.

A non-bailable warrant had been issued against the accused by the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Ranchi.

Based on technical surveillance and confidential inputs, Hoda, a native of Bokaro in Jharkhand and residing near Mahim railway station in Mumbai, was located within Kashimira police station limits in Thane district on Wednesday (June 4), the release stated.

He was detained and handed over to a Ranchi police team for further legal proceedings, it added. PTI COR RSY