College student arrested for blackmailing women in K'taka

Bengaluru, Jan 12 (IANS) The Karnataka Police have arrested a college student here for blackmailing aspiring women models by morphing their pictures and threatening to upload them on social media, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Prapanch Nachappa (23) from Kodagu, is studying at a private college in Bengaluru.

According to police, accused Prapanch Nachappa had opened a fake Instagram account in the name of a woman. He claimed himself to be Prateeksha Bora, a model, and posted about the opportunities for aspiring models.

The gullible girls who looked up for an opportunity, responded to his announcements and contacted him over phone. He had given his cellphone number as contact.

He also targeted good looking girls. He sent them pleasantries in the morning and evenings. After chatting and gaining leniency he advised them to join modeling.

The accused, after being contacted, asked the girls to send their bold photographs. He also promised them to pay Rs 2,000 per photograph. He also told them that a bikini photograph would fetch them Rs 10,000.

Once he got bikini photographs the accused asked the girls to send nude photographs. When girls refused, he threatened them that their bikini photos would be made viral on social media. Further he morphed their snaps to make them look vulgar and resent them to victims and demanded money.

He blackmailed them that if they did not give money, their photographs would be made viral on social media. He also threatened that their careers would end.

The accused blackmailed over 20 modeling women. He extorted between Rs 10,000 to Rs 2 lakh from them. Some of the models and gullible victims went into depression and even attempted to commit suicide not able to take the pressure, police said.

The case came to light when one of the victim girls approached the Halasuru police station after being threatened by the accused with the help of a social activist. She gave all details of the accused along with the modus operandi to the police.

The police, after collecting information, took up the investigation and arrested the accused. The police have found hundreds of photographs of aspiring models on his phone. Investigation is on.