Techie fakes ex-colleague’s Instagram account

The police arrested a software engineer for creating a fake Instagram account of a woman and posting objectionable content.

Bellandur resident Nitin hails from Honnavar taluk in Uttara Kannada and works for a reputable MNC, where the woman also worked, the police said.

The police said both Nitin and the woman were friends earlier and she had left the job a month ago to join another company. Nitin stayed in touch and, on learning that she became friends with another man, quarrelled and harassed the woman.

The woman avoided Nitin’s calls to stop the quarrels, which irked him greatly. To take revenge, he opened an Instagram account in her name and uploaded objectionable pictures and messages he had shared while being friends with her.

The woman objected to the messages and asked for an explanation, but Nitin denied having posted the messages. He even asked her to file a police complaint to trace the real culprit. The woman filed a complaint with the cybercrime police, who traced the crime back to Nitin. They arrested Nitin and produced him before a magistrate, who remanded him in judicial custody.