15-year-old girl blackmailed and threatened via Snapchat leading to FIR and accused’s arrest under IT Act provisions

Summary

A 15-year-old girl from Sion Koliwada was blackmailed and threatened by an individual she met on Snapchat, prompting her father to file an FIR with the Antop Hill police. The accused, identified through the Snapchat account, was arrested in Jamnagar, Gujarat, under sections of the Information Technology Act related to privacy violation, obscene material, and sexually explicit content. He was later released with a notice under the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Supreme Court guidelines, as the punishment was less than seven years. The girl had been using her father’s old phone for six months, during which she engaged in chats with the accused, who eventually threatened to expose their conversations unless she sent nude photos and videos. The incident is part of a growing trend of cyberbullying and online harassment affecting children, with platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, and gaming sites increasingly linked to such cases. Experts warn of severe psychological consequences, including trauma, low self-esteem, and in extreme cases, self-harm or suicidal thoughts.