The Fast Track Mahila Court here on Tuesday sentenced a 22-year-old youth to undergo life imprisonment for threatening to upload the morphed picture of a minor girl which led to the girl ending her life.
The prosecution case was that K. Nandakumar of Kodumudi taluk purchased a new mobile phone in 2019 and took photographs of passersby on the road. He also took selfies with a few minor girls, including a 15-year-old girl, who was studying Class X.
On April 21, 2019, he morphed the girl’s photo and kept it as the display picture in his WhatsApp number. When the girl questioned him, Nandakumar threatened her that he would upload more morphed pictures of her.
Upset over it, the girl informed her mother. When the mother went to question him, the girl ended her life at home. The Kodumudi police registered a case under Section 305 (abetment of suicide of child) of IPC and Section 11 (1) of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and arrested Nandakumar.
Mahila Court judge R. Malathi sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹ 5,000.
Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.
