Police arrested a carpenter allegedly creating a WhatsApp group and posting obscene photos and videos in it. (Representational)The Matunga police arrested a 24-year-old carpenter on Saturday for allegedly creating a WhatsApp group and posting obscene photos and videos in it.
The police said the accused named the group, XXX. He also added a Matunga-based woman and following that he started posting pornographic material in the group.
A case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and IT Act was registered on September 19, after the 44-year-old woman approached the Matunga police station.
The complainant, who works with a private consultant, in her statement to the police said: “She was added to the group on September 17 by an unknown person. She checked the group admins and realised that none of the number was familiar to her. However, as she was added to the group in the late hours, she didn’t leave the group immediately.”
Later in the morning, when she checked her phone, she found that she had received several messages from unknown numbers on the group.
“When she checked the group, it had several obscene videos,” said an officer.
The police started investigating the case and learnt that the number belonged to a person living in West Bengal.
“We didn’t dispatch a team immediately as it was a festive season during that time, and we had to be in our jurisdiction for bandobast. Last week, when our team was about to leave for West Bengal to get hold of the accused, we checked his call data record again. We located him in Mumbai,” said an officer.
On Thursday, a team was dispatched and the accused was nabbed from the central suburbs of Mumbai.
The police said the accused Mustaq Shaikh, has confessed to the crime but he claimed that he was shocked to know that the number belonged to a woman.
“Shaikh claims that the complainant’s number was saved as one of his friend’s on his mobile phone, so he added the number accordingly. However, it was after his arrest, he came to know that the number was being used by a woman,” said an investigator. “We are verifying his claims,” added a senior official.
