A 19-year-old man in Lucknow has been arrested for allegedly using Instagram to pressure a minor girl into religious conversion, threatening to release private videos if she refused.
A 19-year-old man was arrested in Lucknow for allegedly pressuring a minor girl to convert her religion after befriending her on Instagram and threatening to post her private videos on social media, police said.
The accused was identified as Shoaib alias Saurabh Singh, a resident of Gonda district presently living in the Jankipuram area of Lucknow, police said.
According to a statement issued by the Lucknow Police, the action was carried out jointly by the SWAT and surveillance team of the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) and the Sarojini Nagar police under a special drive against cybercrime and crimes against women and children.
Police said a 15-year-old girl lodged a complaint on May 10 alleging that the accused befriended her through Instagram and later began pressuring her to convert her religion.
When she resisted, the accused allegedly threatened to circulate her private videos and photographs on social media, causing her mental harassment and fear, police said.
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered at Sairpur police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, the IT Act and the POCSO Act.
Police said teams were formed to trace the accused and he was arrested on Sunday near Kisan Path following electronic surveillance and inputs from an informer.
During questioning, the accused allegedly admitted to contacting the girl through Instagram and gradually building pressure on her for religious conversion, police said.
A mobile phone allegedly used in the crime was recovered from his possession, according to the police statement.
The accused, who works as a salon operator, was later produced before a court after completion of legal formalities, police said, adding that efforts were underway to ascertain his criminal history in other districts and police stations.