The MRA Marg police have arrested a 27-year-old mobile phone mechanic for allegedly accessing a woman dentist’s private video clip from her phone and demanding Rs 3 lakh for it. The accused, Tariq Azizur Rehaman, a resident of Nallasopara, had repaired the dentist’s phone nearly six months ago and had accessed the video with her husband, the police said.
On July 14, the 29-year-old dentist received a screenshot of her private video from an unidentified number. The caller threatened to make it viral if she didn’t pay him Rs 3 lakh. He also warned her against approaching the police. The woman then spoke to her husband and chose to go to the police.
The MRA Marg police registered a FIR under sections 385 (extortion) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code, along with section 66 E (whoever, intentionally or knowingly captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without consent) of the Information Technology Act.
Preliminary enquiry revealed that the dentist had given her phone to the accused mechanic in Grant Road but got it back without any repairs. Suspecting the role of the mobile repair shop owner or its employees, a police team was sent. The owner denied any role and informed that the phone was repaired by Rehman, who had quit the job.
The police traced Rehman to Nallasopara. During questioning, he confessed to blackmailing the dentist. He had noted her mobile number and called her a couple of months after leaving the shop.
