COIMBATORE: In a swift operation, the Coimbatore district police arrested two men within eight hours of receiving a complaint from a 21-year-old engineering student who alleged that she was blackmailed and extorted using a secretly recorded WhatsApp video call.
The victim, a final-year BE student from Mettur in Salem district, is pursuing her studies at a private college in Kovilpalayam and staying in a women's hostel. Police said the student had approached her former schoolmate, Arun alias Annamalai (21), seeking financial assistance in April this year for her grandmother's cancer treatment.
Trusting him, she handed over nearly two sovereigns of gold jewellery to be pledged in exchange for funds. However, Arun allegedly failed to provide the promised money. Instead, he introduced her to Santhosh (23), a resident of Chinna Thirupathi in Mettur, claiming that he could arrange financial help. Santhosh gained her trust and grew close over time, police said.
They added that Santhosh persuaded her to join an inappropriate WhatsApp video call on the pretext of processing the money. Unaware of his intentions, she agreed. An investigation revealed that Santhosh had secretly recorded the call and shared the footage with Arun.
Arun then allegedly threatened to release the video on social media unless the student complied with his demands. Intimidated, she was forced to pay him cash amounting to Rs 2 lakh, along with gold valuables, including gold coins weighing around three sovereigns. Police said Santhosh subsequently joined in the intimidation, demanding additional money and jewellery while threatening to make the video public.
Unable to endure continued harassment, the student lodged a complaint at the Kovilpalayam police station at around 9.30 pm on June 13. Based on the complaint, a case was registered under the relevant provisions of the BNS and the IT Act. Acting swiftly, police traced and arrested both accused by 8 am the next day. They were later remanded to judicial custody.