Two held for harassing, sending lewd photos-videos to 10-yr-old

MUMBAI: The officials of the crime branch Unit 10 arrested two men for allegedly sending lewd and obscene photos to a 10-year-old girl and demanding photos of similar nature from her. They threatened to kill her parents if she didn’t agree. The arrested duo, both friends, had shared the girl’s phone number and planned the act. Police have thereby appealed to citizens to keep a close vigil on their children’s online and phone activity, as they are more likely to fall prey to cyber-crimes.

According to crime branch sources, the victim, who is attending online classes for her school, had been receiving obscene messages, videos and photos from an unknown Snapchat user and another unidentified number.

The girl confided in her parents, who immediately approached the MIDC Police, with the crime branch Unit 10 launching a parallel probe. A primary and technical investigation revealed that the mobile phone from which the girl received the messages belonged to a man in Bhiwandi. Subsequently, the police apprehended two men, identified as Sunny Bhajanlal Janiyani, 29, and Ajay Tukaram Mhatre, 30, both residents of Bhiwandi.

The police said that the girl’s parents had given her a smartphone for online classes. However, she also used it to log on to Snapchat, from where she received the messages.

The accused were apprehended and booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act for sexual harassment, voyeurism, stalking and criminal intimidation. The arrested duo were handed over to Meghwadi police station.