Srikakulam: Police have arrested two individuals for morphing and circulating a student's private photos online in Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam.
The victim, a student, became the target of exploitation by Sheikh Mohammed Soyal, whom she had met while studying in Tirupati. According to Circle Inspector Eshwar Rao, Soyal secretly captured photos and videos of the students without her knowledge, later morphing them into explicit content. He then sent the morphed images to her via WhatsApp from an unknown number.
Fearing for her reputation, the student initially remained silent but eventually found the courage to lodge a complaint at the Second Town Police Station.
"The investigation revealed Soyal's involvement in the crime, and authorities examined his cellphone. The police discovered that the morphed images had been uploaded to a pornographic website," the police officer said.
The case deepened when it was found that the morphed content had been widely shared across social media platforms. CI Rao said that the police's cyber cell traced the origins of the content to one Uppugal Raghu, a resident of Nandikotkur in Nandyal district. Raghu had purchased a QR created by Soyal, which gave him access to the victim's morphed photos. Raghu then sold the links on various platforms for financial gain.
Both Soyal and Raghu were arrested on Friday and presented in court, where they were remanded in judicial custody. CI Rao condemned the misuse of social media for immoral activities and also urged the public to report such crimes promptly. He assured that strict action would be taken against those involved in the exploitation and distribution of such harmful content.
