Police have arrested a Gwalior man accused of posing as Sonu on Achat messaging app to coerce a Gujarat minor into nude video calls. Officials said that he then used threats, blackmail and a false identity to keep her under pressure.
A man from Madhya Pradesh has been arrested for allegedly posing as ‘Sonu’ on a messaging app to befriend a girl from Gujarat before coercing her into nude video calls and threatening her with defamation and suicide, police said.
The accused, identified as Bittu Khan, a resident of Gwalior, allegedly concealed his identity while contacting the minor from Ahmedabad Rural through the ‘Achat’ messaging application. Police said he introduced himself as a 23-year-old unmarried man named Sonu and gradually gained the girl’s trust before shifting their conversations to WhatsApp and video calls.
According to the complaint, the girl downloaded the Achat app in March, where she came into contact with the accused. As their conversations progressed, he allegedly began pressuring her to engage in nude video calls, meet him in person and enter into a physical relationship.
Police said that around 10 days ago, the accused demanded that the girl make a nude video call. When she refused, he allegedly threatened to tarnish her reputation by circulating her details on social media. Despite the threats, the girl initially did not comply.
Officials said that Bittu Khan had also obtained the passwords to the girl’s Gmail and Instagram accounts and allegedly accessed them without her consent. The complainant further suspected that he had shared her mobile number with others.
According to the police complaint, the accused had allegedly been coercing the minor into undressing during video calls for the past two months. Officials said that he threatened to end his life if she refused and allegedly warned that he would mention her name in a suicide note, leaving the girl under severe mental distress.
