Online Sextortion On Rise After Lockdown, Dehumanises & Feeds On Victim's Shame: P&H HC Rejects Bail To Woman Accused Of Blackmail

The Punjab & Haryana High Court rejected bail of a woman accused of blackmailing a 73-year-old doctor to make viral his obscene videos and extorting Rs 1.34 crore from him.It was alleged that the doctor received a WhatsApp video call from a woman identified and following her instructions, he went to the bathroom and undressed, during which she allegedly recorded an obscene video of him. The woman along with the co-accused allegedly extorted over Rs 1. 34 crores. The doctor later lodged a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Portal.Justice Sandeep Moudgil said, "Such acts are currently the highest reported form of image-based sexual abuse, a form of online blackmail which has been growing in prevalence since 2021. What is concerning are the recent incidents of sextortion which are not entirely surprising given the increase in online social interactions during lockdowns, particularly by way of online dating."The Court highlighted that predators deceive and manipulate gullible people, mostly teenagers by engaging them in explicit activity over video, secretly recording it, and threatening to post such clips online if the victim does not make up to their financial demands. "This terrifying and dehumanizing violation feeds on victim's shame," it added.The Court said that the emotional results for victims — especially kids — are devastating. "Feeling embarrassed, hopeless and isolated, many of victims have nowhere to turn and some even go so far as to take their own lives without knowing that help is available."These observations were made while hearing the third bail plea of the woman accused under Sections 204, 308(2), 306(6), 318(4), 319, 61 of the BNS.The Court noted that the implications of arming the petitioner with regular bail, who has been confronted with allegations of this nature involving well-orchestrated conspiracy of sextortion, "would undoubtedly greatly harm the investigation and would impede the prospects of unearthing all the ramifications involved in such online fraud and scam."While denying bail, the court said that fraudsters often involve minors in such operations as the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, imposes lighter punishments on them. “It is concerning that adolescents are being used in these scams as seasoned criminals get caught,”Justice Moudgil noted that "Umpteen number of cases with similar fact patterns have been reported on the National Cyber Reporting Portal, where unsuspecting individuals have fallen victim to such criminals like the accused persons using an identical modus operandi."This suggests that the present case is part of a larger pattern of criminal activity, rather than an isolated incident, the judge opined.The Court also observed that in the present case, the petitioner and her husband allegedly have been found to have deposited the extortion money in the bank account and given cash money to their confederates for associating them in cyber fraud. "These startling revelations cannot be ignored while considering the prayer of regular bail of the petitioner," it added.In light of the above, the plea was dismissed.Mr. Munfaid Khan, Advocate for the petitioner Mr. Chetan Sharma, DAG HaryanaMr. Shubham Jain, Advocate for the complainantTitle: Jaibuna @ Jai Bhuna v. State of Haryana-Click here to read/download the order

Online Sextortion On Rise After Lockdown, Dehumanises & Feeds On Victim's Shame: P&H HC Rejects Bail To Woman Accused Of Blackmail

Aiman J. Chishti

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