CHENNAI: The Tambaram city police arrested a 24-year-old BJP youth wing functionary for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from several women after getting close to them on the promise of marriage.

The accused, Tamilarasan, a law student, was arrested based on a complaint by a 22-year-old woman from Andhra Pradesh.

According to police, Tamilarasan would befriend women on social media, promise to marry them, and then blackmail them by threatening to release intimate videos and photos. During the investigation, police allegedly found intimate videos and photos of at least 10 women on Tamilarasan's laptop and phone.

The matter came to light after the woman found intimate videos of other women in his laptop. When she confronted him, he allegedly threatened her saying that he had secretly taken her intimate videos, too, and said they would be uploaded if she complained to the police. He allegedly extorted Rs 5 lakh from him, after which the woman filed a complaint.

Tamilarasan was produced in court and remanded in custody. The police are investigating how many women he extorted and are urging anyone with information to come forward.