The Mumbai police have arrested a man for uploading on the internet videos and photos of a woman's private moments with her husband and taking Rs 50,000 from her on the pretext of removing them, an official said on Wednesday.
Accused Joshua Francis is a friend of the couple and he got the personal videos and pictures from the woman's husband, the official said.
The woman's husband is an alcoholic and the couple used to fight over minor issues. To defame her, the husband had captured their intimate moments on his mobile phone, the official said. The husband had given them over to Francis, the official said.
According to the official from Samta Nagar police station in Kandivli, Francis recently called the woman informing her that her intimate videos and photos had been uploaded on a pornographic site. He also shared the web URL of the site with her.
Expressing concern, Francis said a friend of his, named Vikas, is a cyber expert and he would be able to delete them.
Identifying himself as Vikas, Francis later called the woman on WhatsApp, saying he would delete the content but it would cost Rs 50,000. The woman agreed and paid the money, said the official.
However, the videos and photos became viral on Instagram a few days later, prompting the woman to file a police complaint.
The police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act and started questioning Francis, the official said.
During interrogation, Francies admitted that he had got the woman's videos and photos from her husband. He also told the police that he first uploaded them on the porn site, took the money from the woman to delete them and later posted the private files on social media, the official said, adding further probe was underway.