KOCHI: The investigation into the alleged creation and circulation of morphed obscene images of students and teachers at a college in Thrikkakara has widened, with Kochi city police forming a special team to examine the possible involvement of others and whether any financial gains were made from the alleged activity.
Police on Friday formally recorded the arrest of Sreehari S, a second-year BBA Logistics student of Bharata Mata College in Thrikkakara. Thrikkakara police had taken him into custody on Thursday following a complaint lodged by the college authorities.
According to police, photographs of students and teachers were allegedly morphed into obscene content and circulated on social media. A preliminary examination of the student’s mobile phone reportedly revealed several images that had allegedly been misused. The case has raised concerns within the college community, with investigators now examining whether more students or teachers were targeted.
Kochi City Police Commissioner Kaliraj Mahesh Kumar on Friday formed a special team, including cyber experts, to investigate the case and examine the digital evidence. “We are investigating all the angles, including whether any financial gains were made through this. At present, we are trying to ascertain for how long this has been going on and whether more students or teachers were targeted,” a senior police official said.
Police are examining the student’s previous digital activities and the available electronic evidence to determine whether he acted alone or whether others assisted in creating or circulating the alleged content. The college had conducted an internal inquiry before taking disciplinary action against the student.
College principal Soumya Thomas said the institution had dismissed him following the inquiry. “We have already dismissed the student based on a thorough enquiry and also filed a police complaint on the issue. The involvement of others has to be investigated by the police. We have already requested the students to share such information, if they have any, with the police,” she said.
The student’s mobile phone will be sent for forensic examination. The cyber team will analyse the device and other digital evidence to trace the source of the alleged content, establish how it was created and determine how widely it was circulated. Investigators are also examining whether similar content involving other students or teachers was created or circulated.
The police probe will now seek to establish whether the incident was an isolated act or part of a wider pattern of digital abuse involving multiple individuals. Sreehari was later produced before the Kakkanad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court and remanded in judicial custody.
