Baripada: In a disturbing incident in the Baisinga police station limits of Mayurbhanj district, a youth from Balasore was arrested for blackmailing a young woman using morphed obscene images and attempting to force her into a physical relationship. When she resisted, he tried to abduct her, but was caught and thrashed by local villagers before being handed over to the police.
The accused has been identified as Prince Kumar Jena, a resident of Somanathpur in Balasore district.
According to reports, Prince had befriended the victim via Instagram and later acquired her mobile number. He allegedly downloaded her photos from Instagram, edited them into obscene images, and used them to blackmail her, threatening to make the pictures viral unless she agreed to meet him at a hotel.
When the woman refused his repeated advances, Prince began calling her at odd hours, abusing her, and issuing threats. On Monday evening, he called her again and asked her to meet him near a Middle English (ME) school in Baisinga.
The young woman informed her family of the situation. Accompanied by her niece, she went to the location, where Prince attempted to forcibly take her away on his motorcycle. She resisted, resulting in a commotion during which she fell and suffered minor injuries.
As part of a pre-arranged plan, the woman’s family and local villagers arrived at the scene, rescued her and detained Prince, who was subsequently beaten by the crowd before the Baisinga police, led by Sub-Inspector Ashok Patra, reached the spot and took him into custody.
Following a written complaint from the victim, a case was registered under the relevant sections of BNS. After initial investigation, the accused was produced before the court on Tuesday evening.
