1 week Ago
Chennai: In a first, a man from Trichy has been arrested on charges of cyberstalking a US citizen , besides harassing and threatening her by flooding her inbox with obscene messages . Gift Jesubalan Selvanayagam, 37, was arrested by the cyber crime cell of the central crime branch (CCB), Greater Chennai Police on Friday in the afternath of a formal complaint lodged by the US Consulate in Chennai. According to the police, Selvanayagam befriended the US national on a social networking site over a year ago, and they stayed in touch via emails and social media.
During the period, he had filmed her without her knowledge. Later, he started sending her obscene messages and images with an aim to extort money from her. He also threatened her saying he would post the content on social media portals.
The harassment continued over the past few months. As her repeated attempts to ignore his messages and emails went in vain, she lodged a formal complaint at a police station in the US. The details of the complaint, along with the identity of the offender, were then shared with the US Consulate office in Chennai through their foreign affairs department.
Based on the complaint, inspector of police A Menaga, attached to the Cyber Crime Police Station, initiated a probe, analysed the digital evidence and arrested the suspect from his Trichy residence on Friday. Police also seized multiple electronic devices, including a smartphone, laptop and a tablet, used to commit the crime. Selvanayagam was produced before the XI metropolitan magistrate court at Saidapet and remanded in judicial custody.
He was later lodged at the central prison in Puzhal. Chennai city commissioner of police A Arun later issued a statement, emphasising that cyberstalking and online harassment are grave offences that carry strict legal consequences. He also urged victims to promptly report such crimes through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (www.
cybercrime.gov.in) or approach the nearest cybercrime police station.
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