UP Youth Arrested for Sharing Minor Girl’s Private Photos; Booked Under POCSO, IT Act

Amravati: A 22-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh has been arrested for allegedly circulating private images of a 16-year-old girl from Amravati district after she blocked him on social media following a dispute. The accused, identified as Babu Hasan, a resident of Moradabad, is currently in judicial custody.According to Benoda police, the minor, accompanied by her mother, lodged a complaint on April 26. She stated that she had been in contact with Hasan through Instagram for nearly two years. During their conversations, she had shared a photograph of herself wearing a slip.In January, the girl met Hasan in Nagpur, where he allegedly kissed her against her will and took a photograph of the act. In April, after a dispute, the girl blocked him on Instagram and other platforms.Police said Hasan later contacted the victim's mother, alleging that the girl was communicating with someone else and asked her to confiscate the girl's tablet. The mother subsequently blocked him as well. A few days later, Hasan allegedly forwarded the girl's photograph and the image of the forced kiss to her grandmother.Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Sections 74, 75(1)(2), 78(2), 79 and 351(2) of the BNS, along with Sections 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Section 67(A) of the Information Technology Act was later added.A police team traced the accused to Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, where he was employed at a factory, and arrested him on April 30. The court granted police custody remand till May 2, following which Hasan was sent to judicial custody.Police seized two mobile phones from the accused and one mobile phone belonging to the victim's grandmother. The seized devices contained the photographs of the minor. No other objectionable content was found. All devices will be sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for further examination.Amravati Rural Police said the accused was arrested promptly under stringent legal provisions and appealed to citizens not to believe or circulate rumours related to the incident.