Kerala man held for 'sexually exploiting' over 50 women

Agencies
June 1, 2019

Kottayam, Jun 1: A 25-year-old man has been arrested in Kerala for allegedly sexually exploiting over 50 women, he had befriended over social media, by blackmailing them with their morphed obscene photos, police said on Saturday.

Pradeesh Kumar from Areeparambu near Ettumanoor was arrested on Friday on the basis of a complaint by a woman, they said.

Explaining his 'modus operandi,' police said Kumar used to target women over social media and got their phone numbers.

After establishing contact with the women, mostly housewives, and understanding their family problems, he used to create fake Facebook accounts posing as female and got in touch with the husbands of his potential targets, police said.

The accused used to take screenshots of the chats their husbands had with the fake accounts and forwarded it to their wives to convince them about their spouse's "illicit relationships."

After being ensured that the women had started distancing themselves from their husbands, the accused grew very close to the victims and then invited them for video chats. He then allegedly blackmailed the women with their morphed obscene pictures and sexually exploiting them, police said.

He had reportedly developed code languages to ensure that the women themselves were chatting with him on various social media platforms. If they failed to type the code before chatting, Kumar allegedly hurled expletives at them.

If the women refused to comply with his orders, the accused threatened to send their morphed obscene photographs to their husbands, police said.

Following his arrest, morphed obscene photos of many women have been recovered from the accused's laptop, they said.

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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