7 Members Of Social Media Group Arrested For Blackmailing Girls In Odisha’s Mayurbhanj

Baripada: Police have arrested 7 youths of a social media group for allegedly forcing the girls to have physical relation by blackmailing them with their private pictures in Mayurbhanj district.

According to sources, the police came to know about the activities of the group while investigating a case of suicide by a girl in Sundargarh district. The investigation revealed that a youth, who is also a member of the group, had allegedly saved some private pictures and videos of the girl and was blackmailing her to have physical relation with him. Feeling humiliated and distressed, the girl had committed suicide.

The police could know about other members of the group, who called themselves ‘Bindast Boys’. They belong to Suliapada of the district. The district formed a special team comprising Sadar SDPO, Sadar IIC, officials of Soulipada and Baripada Town police and Mayurbhanj Cyber Cell to extend the area of investigation to know the details.

The investigation revealed that the youths used to save the private pictures of the girls after developing intimacy with them and later, blackmail to have physical relation by threatening to upload the pictures on social media. Besides, the group was circulating child pornography videos on social media and mobile phone chats, police sources said.

Following the arrest, the accused have been forwarded to judicial custody and further investigation is on to nab other members of the group.