09 July,2018 11:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Suraj Ojha
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The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 22-year-old girl for allegedly creating fake Facebook profiles of her ex-boyfriend's family members and posting objectionable photographs on them. She allegedly also left their actual cellphone numbers on these profiles for "sex chat". The arrested accused has been identified as Aarti Jadhav, a Goregaon resident.
Crime branch sources said Jadhav had been in a relationship with Vile Parle resident Mahesh Rade for eight years, but he'd recently broken up with her, as his family was against their "inter-caste" union, and gotten married to a girl chosen by his parents. An officer said, "Jadhav was left heart-broken and wanted to take revenge. So she created these profiles."
The case
She also sent friend requests from these fake profiles to several people. As a result, Rade's two sisters started getting calls from unknown numbers, with the callers asking if they were available to provide the services mentioned on these profiles.
Fed up, they then approached the Vile Parle police, who registered an FIR under sections 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code, and 66(C), 66(E), 67 and 67(A) of the Information Technology Act.
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Victim explains
Talking to mid-day Rade's elder sister, who is the complainant, said, "She stole our photos from the original profiles to create the fake ones. We sisters are married and don't stay with Mahesh and our parents anymore. If she had an issue with him, why drag us into it?
"We didn't know they wanted to marry. I had even asked them once if they are dating, and at that time, she'd said they are just friends. I don't know what happened later." She added that their husbands were very understanding and supportive through the whole thing, and it was they who said police help was needed, after reading the objectionable content the accused had posted on the walls of the fake profiles.
Recalling an earlier meeting, the sister said, "Mahesh and I had bumped into her a while back, and he had asked her if she was behind all this, and to stop it. But she feigned innocence and said she hadn't done anything."
In custody
Crime branch DCP Nisar Tamboli formed a team of 10 under the supervision of Inspector Sanjay Salunkhe and a cyber specialist and found the IP address from where the fake profiles and objectionable content had been uploaded. After Jadhav was summoned at the crime branch office, she came with her mother and confessed to the crime. "We have handed over the accused to the Vile Parle police, who will do in-depth investigation in the case," Tamboli told mid-day.
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