BHUBANESWAR: Cyber police have arrested a 19-year-old girl in Gajapati district for allegedly posing as a man on Instagram, luring her 18-year-old neighbour with a promise of marriage and circulating her intimate photographs and videos online.
“The accused Nandita Mahakuda of Laxmipur (Gauda Sahi) village under Ramagiri police limits was arrested on October 23 and forwarded to court,” IIC Basant Sethy said on Saturday.
According to details of the case that highlights the misuse of social media for impersonation and online harassment, the victim lodged a complaint at the Cyber Crime and Economic Offences (CC & EO) police station in Paralakhemundi on October 10, alleging that a person operating Instagram account _ur_aditya_03 had gained her confidence by promising to marry her and persuaded her to share intimate photographs and videos. She alleged that the person later threatened to kill her and circulate the material on social media. On October 2, the photographs and videos were allegedly circulated through Instagram and came to the notice of the victim’s brother, relatives and others.
During investigation, police found the accused and the victim were neighbours and allegedly had prior enmity. Investigators suspect the accused created the fake Instagram account using her mobile phone and SIM card, impersonating a man named Aditya to establish contact with the victim and gain her trust.
They also suspect the accused circulated the photographs and videos after the victim refused to share more such content. The investigation revealed the alleged involvement of another Instagram account _nabbi.kash. According to police, one Nandu Gauda created this account on Nandita’s request and shared its login credentials with her. On October 6, the intimate photographs and videos were allegedly sent through this account to another Instagram account _bhai_ka_pari operated by Nandu.
The investigating officer visited the victim’s home, examined her and other witnesses, and recorded their statements. Relevant mobile phones and screenshots were seized. Police also issued a requisition to Meta Platforms, the parent company of Instagram, seeking account registration details, associated IP addresses, login and logout records, and other technical information.
A separate request was made to the Gajapati SP to obtain IP detail records from the internet service provider concerned. The victim and Nandu were produced before the Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate court in Paralakhemundi for recording their statements under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).
Police said prima facie evidence had emerged against the accused. She was medically examined before being forwarded to court. The case has been registered under Sections 296, 319(1), 351(2) and 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), read with Sections 67 and 67(A) of the Information Technology Act. “Further investigation is underway,” said IIC Sethy.