Keonjhar: A man was arrested on Friday for allegedly sharing an objectionable video of a woman through electronic means. The accused, Ranjan Naik (40) of Kashipur village under Town police station, was produced in court, which remanded him to judicial custody.Police action followed a complaint filed by the woman on April 23. According to the allegations, the accused circulated the objectionable video via WhatsApp with the intent to outrage her modesty, defame her, and pressure her in connection with an ongoing land dispute.Based on the complaint, police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, and arrested the accused on Friday.During the investigation, police examined the complainant and other witnesses and seized incriminating materials, including mobile phones, digital storage devices and electronic records related to the offence. “Scientific and digital evidence collection procedures were duly followed,” said IIC, Town police station, Srikanta Sahu.Police said following the accused’s disclosure, further incriminating materials , including a mobile phone allegedly containing the objectionable video and related digital evidence, were recovered and seized in the presence of independent witnesses. The entire process was properly documented and videographed as per legal provisions.According to investigators, the accused and the victim were previously acquainted and had a land dispute. The accused allegedly used the video to blackmail the woman and attempted to coerce her into parting with her land, threatening to make the video viral if his demands were not met.Police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the extent of circulation of the content and to determine whether others were involved.
