Duo held for blackmailing married woman using private videos in Bengaluru's KR Puram

KR Puram police have arrested two men for blackmailing a married woman using her private photos and videos, obtained after befriending her on social media.

The accused have been identified as Ritwik Reddy, 38, alias Raghavendra Prasad Devadiga alias Chennuru Mahesh, and his associate Vannuru Swamy, 34, both natives of Andhra Pradesh.

A senior police officer said the victim, a 38-year-old software professional employed with a private firm, was coerced into paying large sums of money and pledging her gold to meet the accused's demands.

Investigations revealed that the woman came into contact with prime accused Reddy on Snapchat around one-and-a-half years ago.

Reddy was her former classmate from a private college in the city. The two later exchanged phone numbers and remained in touch through calls and messages. During video calls on WhatsApp, the accused recorded and captured screenshots of her private moments.

Reddy later used the material to threaten her, claiming he would share it with her husband, family members, and on social media platforms.

Following the threats, the woman paid over Rs 50 lakh and handed over her gold ornaments. The accused also threatened to kill her husband. Unable to bear the harassment, the woman approached KR Puram police two months ago and filed a complaint.

Based on a tip-off, police arrested the duo and recovered 571 grams of gold ornaments. Officials also found several photos and videos of other women on the accused's mobile phones. Further investigations are on.