Delhi businessman held for creating fake social media profile of former tenant to defame her

A 49-year-old businessman from west Delhi was arrested for allegedly creating his former tenant’s fake Facebook profile and posting her morphed pictures, derogatory comments on it and sending friend requests to random men, police said on Wednesday.

Police said the businessman, who was arrested from his Uttam Nagar home on Monday, was angry with the 35-year-old woman because of her decision to leave his house and marry somebody else. He thought defaming her would make the woman to change her decision and she would drop her wedding plans and return as a tenant at his house.

The woman filed a police case in February this year against an unknown person when she learnt about the fake profile from her friends.

A senior police officer associated with the case said Facebook provided them details of the mobile number and internet protocol (IP) address of the computer device, using which the fake profile was created. He said it helped them identify and arrest the suspect.

“The suspect had first created an email account and used the same to creating the woman’s Facebook profile. We traced the IP address and the mobile number and finally arrested the suspect, who is into catering business,” said the officer.

The woman, who was reportedly separated from her first husband, told the police that in November 2017, one of her friends informed her about a Facebook profile that contained her private and morphed pictures. The profile also had the name and address of the private company where she used to work.

A case under sections 66C (fraudulently using electronic signature, password of any other unique identification of any person) 66E (violation of privacy) and 67 (posting sexually explicit act in electronic form) of Information Technology (IT) Act was registered at the Ranhola police station on her complaint.

A Facebook spokesperson did not comment on the matter.

First Published: Sep 06, 2018 03:55 IST