Predators online: Stalkers of the cyber realm

DESPITE the global conversation on violence, consent and healthy relationships sparked by the #MeToo movement, the issue of ‘stalking’ still remains largely invisible to the public. It has merely been a couple of days since Telangana was forced to face the ground reality of the issue, with a minor girl currently battling for her life in Barkatpura after being hacked multiple times by her stalker on Wednesday. The incident has brought to light the extremes to which physical stalking can go. 

There is yet another kind of stalking, however, which unfortunately fails to receive the attention that it calls for -- cyberstalking. Several youngsters are constantly harassed in the virtual world by cyberstalkers, the results often being psychological trauma. 

Cyber-stalking is an invasive crime by which a perpetrator harasses the victim across social media platforms and various other online modes with malafide intentions. It is punishable under the Indian Penal Code and the IT Act, 2000. 

As per reports, the number of youngsters, especially teenagers, that fall prey to cyberstalking is unprecedentedly high. 

In one such case that was recorded recently under the Rachakonda police limits, a minor girl studying in Class 9 at one of the prominent schools in the city had raised alarm against alleged cyberbullying. 

“The victim was being harassed by her own classmates. Traumatised, she had informed her parents, who in turn raised a complaint with us,” said S Harinath, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) - Cybercrime, Rachakonda. “The perpetrator had created fake accounts on Facebook and bullied the victim. He and his friends were apparently having ‘fun’,” he added. 

In addition, cases of older women being cyberstalked by young men are also on the rise.

Statistics indicate that, in a majority of these cases, the perpetrators are acquaintances of the victims who resort to stalking for various reasons. “Relatives, brother’s friends, sister’s friends, jilted lovers and ex-lovers are common offenders. Their motives range from blackmail to demand of sexual favours or even nude photos and videos,” observed KCS Raghu Vir, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police - Cybercrime, Hyderabad. 

“Many fall prey to cyberstalking because they constantly share their whereabouts on social media platforms,” he said. Vir further added that the perpetrators are on lookout for such hints and this makes it easy for them to intimidate the victims.