After befriending her, Madan Prasad professed his love for the woman following few outings; he shot a cellphone video of them in a compromising position, which he later used to blackmail the victim
The next time you accept a friend request on Facebook from a stranger, think about the consequences. A 27 year-old man was arrested for blackmailing and extorting money from the woman, whom he befriended in March.
Officers from Santacruz police station said they nabbed Madan Prasad alias Amit Rai, an employee of a cyber café in Santacruz (West), from his hometown in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.
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Nefarious intentions
Officers said Prasad befriended the married woman by sending her a friend request over Facebook.
Representational pic
They said the woman told them that the reason she accepted it was because they were both from Santacruz. Soon, they began chatting on the site and became close friends in February.
After their first meeting at the cyber café, which was planned by Prasad, they stared seeing each other daily at various locations across Mumbai. After a few meetings, Prasad professed his love for her and the two started the affair in March.
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In her statement, the woman said that during their time together the couple had spent a lot of time together in various lodges in the city. However, she was unaware that during one of the visits, Prasad shot a cellphone video of them in a compromising position.
Blackmail begins
The woman said that last month she received a call from Prasad, asking her to meet him immediately. Despite her polite refusal, Prasad kept insisting. But after she lost her cool and reprimanded him for his childish behaviour, Prasad told her about the video and threatened to send it to her husband and upload it on Facebook if she disobeyed him.
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Afraid of the repercussions, the woman gave in. She claimed that besides extorting money from her, since April, Prasad exploited her sexually as well. The woman even said that during one of their meetings, he showed her the video.
End game
The incident came to light after the woman’s husband questioned her about the fast-depleting bank balance. After she revealed everything to him, the couple lodged a police complaint against Prasad a fortnight ago. Upon discovering that the police were hunting for him, Prasad fled to his hometown in Gorakhpur, UP. The cops traced Prasad’s whereabouts via his cellphone location and arrested him on Tuesday. He was brought to Mumbai on Wednesday night.
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Prasad confessed to his crimes and said that the woman would foot the bills whenever they went out. That had made him reach the conclusion that she was rich and he then hatched the plot to exploit her.
Copspeak
An official from the Santacruz police station said, “The accused was booked under relevant sections of the IPC for rape and extortion. Investigation is on to find out how much money he extorted from the woman.” Prasad was produced in court yesterday and remanded in police custody.
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