Mumbai: Two booked for creating fake Instagram account of couple, extorting money

A case has been filed at DB Marg police station. Representation pics

The DB Marg police station in Girgaon has registered a case against two persons based on a complaint filed by a man who claimed that the accused persons extorted Rs 1.5 lakh from him. According to the complaint registered receently, the accused persons created a fake Instagram account using his name and the name of his girlfriend. They also posted morphed obscene photos of of the couple and began blackmailing the man. The incident came to light earlier in February.

The complainant, a 35-year-old man and a resident of Grant Road, said that after he discovered the fake account, he received a message from a person who identified himself as Jitendra Rajpurohit. He demanded Rs 5 lakh to delete the fake account, said the victim.

Police said that disturbed by the potential social fallout, the victim agreed to pay, and between February and April, he transferred approximately Rs 1.5 lakh to the accused person's account. However, the blackmailing continued, following which the man approached the police and got a complaint registered.

Based on the complaint, a an FIR under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was file against two persons. The FIR has named one accused as Rajpurohit and another as unknown.

"Frustrated by the ongoing extortion, the victim finally approached the police for help. We have registered a case under Sections 308(2), 329(2), and 351 of the BNS, along with Section 67 of the IT Act," said an officer, adding that a search operation has been launched to arrest the accused persons.