A 40-year-old actress, who has worked in Bollywood as well as Tamil films with big stars, has registered a case with the Malad police against a ‘Telegram channel’ for stealing her personal photographs and videos, morphing them and selling them at a premium price online.
In an exclusive discussion with mid-day, the actress said that she learnt about Telegram user about a month ago. “My manager informed me that my private photos and videos are being morphed and sold on a Telegram channel at a premium rate. It’s deeply disturbing to discover how these criminals gained access to my personal content and are using it to make money,” lamented the actress.
“This entire incident has been incredibly distressing for me,” she said. “I was shocked to learn that someone had accessed my personal images and videos, tampered with them, and is now selling them to make money. It’s a gross violation of my privacy and a reminder of how vulnerable we all are in the digital age.”
She further expressed her concern about the psychological and reputational impact of such actions. “As public figures, we are often targeted, but this goes beyond trolling or gossip… it is cyber exploitation. I want to set an example by speaking out and seeking justice, not just for myself, but for every individual who has suffered from such digital abuse,” she told mid-day.
The FIR filed at Malad police station on May 20 reads: “My manager told me that I have to pay some money to be added to the group ‘NEW Cycle On Road 00’ and the identity of the person who has made that group is not known. Besides this, my manager told me that the name of the person who shared my nude photo on the group is ‘Mr. Rocky RK’. His user ID is 782231392 and user name is @Rts-Admin01.”
According to the actress, after morphing her digital photos and videos, the accused has been selling her nude photos and videos for R50,000 and R1 lakh, respectively, to premium groups on Telegram, and the description says ‘South actress, first time full uncut with face rubbing her face’. The Telegram channel further entices members not to leave the channel in order to avail of “offers and updates”. “I don’t really know who this person is. I am slipping into depression,” said the actress. A QR code has also been provided to scan for payments to be made to dmrajesh07-1@okhdfcbank.
“The said unknown person has also shared his email ID arttainz@gmail.com in the Telegram group. My manager has added a person to the group to keep an eye on the activity. Between April 17 and May 19, my face has been morphed onto photos. My nude photos and videos from my personal mobile phone have also been hacked and shared in the group,” reads the FIR, a copy of which is in mid-day’s possession. Sources at Malad police station said that the actress has submitted multiple pieces of evidence, including colour photos and screenshots taken from the Telegram channels.
A senior officer at Malad police station told mid-day, “The actress approached us with a complaint and submitted pieces of evidence. We recorded her detailed statement, based on which we have registered an FIR under sections 76 (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 78 (stalking), and 356(2) (defamation) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology (IT) Act.” Sources in the police department told mid-day that the North Region of Cyber Team is conducting an investigation into the matter. However, no arrest has been made so far.
