Mumbai: Police have arrested a 28-year-old man for allegedly sending private obscene videos to his ex-lover under the pretext of reconnecting with her for a rebound.
In August, the 27-year-old victim approached the Pant Nagar police, claiming that she had received videos featuring herself and her ex-boyfriend from college. The videos were sent via an internet phone number on WhatsApp. She explained that these videos were recorded during their college years, with her in the first year and him in the second year. An FIR was promptly registered, leading the police, along with the cyber team, to initiate an investigation.
Victim was initially reluctant to divulge details
"It initially appeared to be a dead end. Internet phone numbers are challenging to trace, and the victim did not provide significant information about the suspect. She continuously denied knowing who had access to these videos, leaving us with no choice but to focus on tracing the internet phone number," explained a senior official. The breakthrough in tracing the number came from PSI Swapnil Salunkhe of Pant Nagar police's Cyber Cell, who used specialised methods involving proxy numbers and managed to identify the broadband service and the accused's system's IP address, along with the VPN used, with the help of the service provider.
As the investigation progressed, the victim was repeatedly questioned. "The victim was initially reluctant to divulge any details, often providing misleading information about certain factual events. Through a psychological approach and ensuring her safety and security, she eventually revealed the identity of the man. Interestingly, the suspect's identity matched the one traced by Salunkhe," added the officer.
Accused is a married man
The accused, identified as Divyakumar Suresh Panchal, is now married. He confessed to the police that he wanted to "reconnect" with his ex-lover, nearly six years after their mutual breakup. His troubled marriage was one of the reasons why he sought reconciliation with his former partner.
Panchal's intention was to remind her of the "good days" of their teenage relationship, which is why he sent her the videos. However, he never disclosed his identity to her. Still, the victim immediately recognized him, as she knew that only Panchal possessed those videos of their private moments together. Panchal currently resides in Vikhroli with his wife but originally hails from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, according to the police.
Panchal has been charged with multiple offenses, including Sections 354 (D) (stalking), 509 (word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as Section 67 (a) (publishing or transmitting material containing sexually explicit acts) of the Information Technology Act.
