A 33-year-old man was arrested from Hisar, Haryana, on Tuesday on charges of morphing photographs of an astrologer, uploading them online and demanding money to take them down
A 33-year-old man was arrested from Hisar, Haryana, on Tuesday on charges of morphing photographs of a woman, uploading them online and demanding money to take them down.
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Accused Sachin Vadhwa
The accused, Sachin Omparkash Vadhwa, superimposed the photo of a 47-year-old astrologer with that of porn film actresses and sent them to her Facebook friends, who alerted the woman.
Her photos were also uploaded on different pornographic websites and when Asha Mathur (name changed) contacted the accused, he started demanding money ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000.
“Though he made demands of small amounts, I could not encourage that behaviour. So, I went and complained to the Bangur Nagar police, who asked me to approach the cyber cell in Bandra,” said Asha, adding that the accused had already made several accounts in Facebook using her morphed photo, but with different names.
The Malad resident, in her complaint, said in March, Vadhwa sent her a ‘friend’ request on Facebook, which she declined. Out of spite, he allegedly morphed her Facebook photos and sent those to her friends.
She added, “I believe I am not his only victim. He must have made other women also suffer, but the police have really helped me here. I urge the government to take some steps to strengthen cyber security.”
Vadhwa’s location in Hisar was traced through the IP address of the system he used. A team of Bangur Nagar police arrested him from there and produced him at the Borivli Metropolitan Magistrate Court, which sent him to police custody. A case has been registered under Sections 385, 500 and 506 of the IPC, and 67 of the IT Act, 2000.
Tainted past
Vadhwa was arrested in 2008 by the Hisar police in a vehicle theft case, but was released on bail. His family comprises his parents and an elder brother. He spent four months at a rehabilitation centre for drug addiction and was released in March. Right after his stint at the rehab centre, Vadhwa began spending all of his time at home on Facebook. According to the police, he had morphed the photographs of four to five other women.