Mumbai, June 14: Police have arrested a cab driver for reportedly exploiting at least 24 women with morphed photos. The driver allegedly gained unauthorised access to the social media accounts of the victim women, manipulating their personal photographs and then resorting to blackmail by saying he would post the photos on porn websites. The accused has been identified as Vinod Kishanrao Mundhe (25), also known as Ajay, a resident of Gautam Nagar in the Parbhani district.

According to the report by Hindustan Times, the police said that two women in Sindhudurg district and one in Mumbai registered cases against him. We have found that he has extorted 24 women till now. The police added the accused had started hacking social media accounts during the COVID-19 lockdown as he did not have any source of income. From Sextortion to OLX Scams, Mewat Is Way Ahead of Jamtara in Cyber Crimes.

Accused Blackmailed Women With Morphed Photos:

Mundhe used a tactic of sending messages to women on Facebook, accompanied by a hyperlink that, upon clicking, granted him unauthorised access to their social media accounts. After gaining access to the Facebook accounts of unsuspecting girls and women, Mundhe would proceed to send the links to their friends, subsequently hacking their accounts as well.

According to the police, the accused would proceed to send messages to the girls, informing them that their photos or videos had been uploaded onto pornographic websites. Additionally, he would send them manipulated or altered images and demand a ransom in exchange for their removal. "He would accept smaller amounts like Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 as he thought that demanding lesser amounts would not prompt the women to report the incidents to the police," said cops. Online Fraud in Mumbai: Fraudsters Dupe Woman of Rs 11 Lakh on Pretext of Providing ‘Youtube Likes’ Job, Five Arrested.

The accused had been employed as a driver for a cab aggregator and had a history of frequently switching jobs. The accused has now been charged with multiple offences, including cheating, cheating by personation, and various violations under the Information Technology Act.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2023 06:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).