Man held for abetting woman friend's suicide in Mumbai

Mumbai, Nov 25 (PTI) Mumbai Police have arrested a man for allegedly abetting the suicide of a woman friend by blackmailing her and threatening to circulate her morphed obscene pictures on social media, an official said.

The victim, who lived with her family in Mumbai's Goregaon area, had been in regular contact with the accused.

The two frequently spoke for long hours on WhatsApp and phone calls. When her parents became aware of this, they advised her to maintain distance, but she continued to stay in touch with him, a Goregaon police official said.

Over the past few weeks, the victim had apparently been under severe mental stress.

When her mother questioned her, she informed that the accused, Sanjayraj Vishwakarma, had taken her to a friend's event where he clicked several photos of her. He later edited those images to create obscene photographs and used them to blackmail her for money, threatening to make the pictures viral on social media, the official said.

Despite giving him money on multiple occasions, the accused continued to threaten her. The victim had also lodged a complaint with the police and they warned the accused to stay away from her.

However, the continuous mental harassment allegedly pushed her deeper into depression.

The woman allegedly died by suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her residence on November 15, the official said.

Following her death, her parents approached the Goregaon police again.

Based on the fresh complaint, the man was arrested last week and a case was registered against him on charges of threatening to circulate obscene photos, blackmailing, extortion and abetment of suicide. PTI ZA GK