Woman Teacher Blackmailed Using Obscene Photos

A 41-year-old woman working as a schoolteacher in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, became a victim of cyber blackmail after her old mobile number was reassigned to another person. A few months ago, she had used the number to log in to social networking platforms and uploaded her photographs as well as pictures of her relatives. She later stopped using the SIM card, following which the telecom company allotted the number to a new user.

The woman subsequently began receiving obscene images made using the photographs she had uploaded on social media through WhatsApp. When she called her former number, the person who answered allegedly threatened to circulate more obscene pictures unless she fulfilled his demands. She then lodged a complaint with the Vellore Cyber Crime Police, who registered a case and launched an investigation. The police arrested Jyothi Venkatesan (39), a cooking master from Venkatachalapuram in Theni district, on Saturday. He was later produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody.