Woman gets Facebook friend arrested after he ‘threatens to post semi-nude pictures’

The arrested accused has been identified as Shahnawaz Mohomed Dinkhan (30), a Sewri resident. (Representational Image)

A woman who befriended a man on Facebook a few weeks ago got him arrested on March 22 after he allegedly tried to extort money from her by threatening to post her semi-nude photographs on social media. Police said the 24-year-old complainant, who is married and has a daughter, took the man to RAK Marg police station where a case of criminal intimidation and extortion was registered and he was arrested.

In her statement to the police, the woman has said that two months ago, she got a friend request on Facebook from somebody named Simran Shaikh, who then introduced her to a man named Prince K few weeks back. “As Shaikh and I had become good friends, I trusted her and accepted Prince’s request,” the complainant said. The man who went by the name Prince allegedly began sending messages to the complainant. They also shared phone numbers with each other. As they got closer, he reportedly began asking for her photographs. The complainant said initially she refused but later, she sent him some semi-nude pictures of herself on Facebook messenger.

Prince then claimed that he wanted to meet her. The woman refused but later, she met him near her Nerul house. After that, Shaikh allegedly called up the woman and demanded that she deposit Rs 10,000 in an account. Shaikh and Prince allegedly began threatening the woman saying they would send the photographs to her husband and other relatives. Prince allegedly even threatened to post her semi-naked photographs on social media.

“I called up a friend and asked him for help. We called Prince and under the pretext of giving him the money he had asked for, I asked him to meet me near Sewri court. We asked two of our friends to accompany us,” said the complainant. The woman waited for Prince near Sewri court while her friends stood at a distance. The accused came on his bike and asked the complainant to sit on the bike. Before he could start the bike, the woman’s three friends got hold of him and took him to the nearest police station at RAK Marg.

A case was registered under sections 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, along with sections 66 (E) and 84 of the Information Technology Act. The arrested accused has been identified as Shahnawaz Mohomed Dinkhan (30), a Sewri resident.

Senior Police Inspector, RAK Marg police station, Bhagwat Bhansod said: “We are on the lookout for his accomplice Simran Shaikh. We are also checking if he has any other cases pending against him.”