Representative image of arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
New Delhi: A woman found herself in serious trouble after sharing personal images with a man she met online, leading to threats of an acid attack and various other forms of harassment, the police said on Friday.
Himanshu Arora, 37, a Delhi University graduate, was arrested after a detailed investigation for allegedly harassing the woman.
Arora is married and his family runs a sanitary business in the Friends Colony Industrial Area in Shahdara.
The woman met Arora in 2021 on Instagram and they became friends. "Over time, under the pretext of emotional intimacy, the accused coerced the victim into sharing private content, which he later used to blackmail her," the police said.
Arora created multiple fake Instagram profiles using her images and used these identities to sexually harass and extort her.
When the distressed woman confronted him, Arora claimed that a laptop technician might have stolen her data while repairing her device. However, he continued his harassment unabated.
"She was subjected to demands for money, including a Rs 1 lakh extortion attempt, forced participation in explicit video calls, and threats ranging from acid attacks and kidnapping to fabricated legal charges, including fake FIR notices and murder case claims," the police said.
A case was registered on May 28, and subsequent technical surveillance and digital analysis revealed that nine fake Instagram profiles and a Gmail ID were used to harass the victim.
The police shared that the mobile number used to create these accounts was registered in the name of Arora’s mother but was being operated by him.
Arora was apprehended on May 29 and during interrogation, he confessed to the blackmail and sexual exploitation after which he was sent to judicial custody.
Two mobile phones and a laptop were seized from him which contained nude and semi-nude photographs of the woman, a screenshot of a fake Instagram ID, and credentials used for the abusive online profiles.