Mumbai: A WhatsApp group administrator was arrested in Mumbai for adding a woman’s mobile number without her consent to a group on which pornographic content was shared.
This is the first of its kind arrest in Mumbai and cops said it would serve as a warning for all administrators to be cautious about who they add and what is posted on groups on the online messaging platform.
Police told The Times of India that the accused, a 24-year-old carpenter from West Bengal named Mustaq Ali Shaikh, has been booked for molestation and under sections of the Information Technology Act.
The investigating officer said the complainant, a housewife, said her number was added to the group, ‘Triple XXX’, in September.
Cops said the woman first thought that it was a prank by her friends, but then found pornographic photos and videos flooding the group. She told the police that when she looked at the administrator and 12 group members’ numbers, she realised she did not know any of them. She then lodged a complaint.
Shaikh was arrested from the Sion-Dharavi area on Thursday. During interrogation, he apologised and said he had added the woman’s number to the group by mistake.
“He said he thought the number belonged to his brother-in-law and did not remember how he had the complainant’s number. He said he had no intention to hurt anybody and that the group was formed by his friend with no woman members," a police officer told the TOI.
Police have seized Shaikh’s phone and have sent it to the Forensic Science Laboratory to retrieve its data. Cops have also sought the call detail reports of other group members who could become witnesses against Shaikh.
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