Cyber police stumped by bizarre cases

Extra-marital affairs seem to lie at the heart of bizarre complaints reaching the Chennai police’s Cyber Crime Wing. A typical case would involve video clips or messages circulated or sent to one’s estranged partner (with an intent to blackmail or coerce him/her back into a relationship). Police sources recall a complaint where, a woman recently approached the CCB alleging her husband had hacked into her WhatsApp messages and was compelling her to agree to a divorce.” The police official doubted if it was possible to hack into WhatsApp messages, saying, “In such cases, we are unable to act against anyone.” 

A senior CCB official told DT Next, that during a recent divorce petition hearing, the family court in Chennai sought the assistance of the Cyber Crime Wing of the CCB to verify a video clip submitted by a petitioner, who had alleged that the participant in the video (of an adult nature), was his wife. The court wanted the CCB to confirm whether the woman in the clip was indeed the petitioner’s wife. Later, the CCB submitted that the participant in the clip closely resembled the petitioner’s wife. However, the couple’s marriage ended in divorce as the woman did not want to live with her husband anymore. 

A police officer recalls, “A doctor was keen on discovering the identity of the man with whom his wife was having an online affair. According to the doctor, his wife had been chatting online throughout the night and had even stopped talking to him. Even after their separation, the doctor continued with his pursuit of identifying the ‘paramour.’ The CCB officials politely turned down his request.” 

The perpetrators in such cases are not always adults. A police source says, “A teacher from a reputed city school, approached the CCB after he chanced upon a video clip of him in a restroom, being circulated among students in his school. Cyber crime officials later found the students had shot the video clip of the teacher during a school-tour. “We had to let off the students with a warning. In many such cases, the rule book is vague about possible legal action.”