Security guard used morphed images to portray women as sex workers online

The Dahisar police have arrested a 25-year-old security guard from Bengaluru who allegedly created thousands of fake Instagram profiles of women, morphing their images into obscene content and sexually exploiting them using blackmail. The accused, Shubham Kumar Manoj Prasad Singh, is originally from Bhagalpur in Bihar.

According to the police, Singh created over 100 ‘Gmail’ accounts and used these to open thousands of fake Instagram profiles of women who had either ignored his friend requests or refused to engage in conversation. He then morphed their photos with pornographic images and shared them on social media, making the women seem like sex workers and listing fake services and rates.

When his victims pleaded for the obscene profiles to be deleted, Singh allegedly demanded virtual sex or nude images via video calls in return. In several cases, the women, feeling humiliated and under pressure, complied with his demands.

The case that led to the arrest

The latest case was reported by a 19-year-old BSc student from a reputed college in Kandivli East. Singh created three fake accounts in her name on consecutive days — January 29, 30, and 31 — using her morphed images. The student, after consulting friends, blocked the first two accounts but eventually approached the cyber police after the third one surfaced.

Tech-savvy accused

Singh was earlier pursuing a diploma in Information Technology and has technical knowledge of graphics, HTML, CorelDRAW, networking, and computer operations. Although he couldn’t complete his course due to personal reasons, he leveraged his skills for criminal activity. “Singh started becoming proficient in computer usage and moved to Bengaluru in search of work. Failing to secure an IT job, he began working as a security guard in an industrial company, while secretly carrying out these crimes,” said an officer from the Dahisar police station.

Cracking the case

Under the guidance of DCP (Zone XII) Mahesh Chimate and Senior Inspector Ashok Honmane, the cyber team of Dahisar Police, comprising API Ankush Dandge and PSIs Shradha Patil and Vaibhav Khwakar, traced Singh with the help of Instagram and Facebook nodal officers. They tracked his IP address to the Sabdur area in Bellari district, Karnataka, and arrested him on Sunday.

Singh was brought to Mumbai and produced before the Borivli Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Monday, where he was remanded to police custody for further interrogation.

Similar case uncovered

The police further revealed that the cyber team had recently cracked a similar case involving a 41-year-old man identified as Vaibhav Shah from Daulat Nagar, Dahisar, who was accused of harassing a 25-year-old female doctor. Shah was infatuated with the doctor and began sending her abusive messages and morphed photos from a fake Instagram account when she didn’t reciprocate.

“We have urged the public, especially women, to report any suspicious or harassing behaviour on social media immediately,” said another officer.

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