Mumbai, April 19 (IANS) Waris Pathan, an AIMIM leader and former Maharashtra MLA, has alleged that his social media account was hacked and that he was threatened with the circulation of morphed private photographs unless he paid Rs 5 lakh, officials said on Sunday.

According to the Worli Police, a case has been registered, and an investigation is underway.

The officials said that Pathan, who is also a national spokesperson of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, subsequently received a ransom demand of Rs 5 lakh along with threats that private photographs of him and his family would be digitally altered and circulated publicly.

The accused, who remain unidentified, allegedly contacted Pathan using three different international phone numbers. During these calls, they issued threats and repeatedly demanded that the ransom amount be paid, officials said.

Acting on Pathan’s complaint, the Worli Police Station launched a detailed probe into the matter. Preliminary findings by investigators indicate that the origin of the threats may be linked to Cambodia, although officials said that further verification and inquiry are still ongoing.

Police said that the sequence of events began on April 16, when Pathan’s social media account was first compromised. Following the alleged hacking, the perpetrators accessed photographs on the account and threatened to manipulate them digitally before circulating them online.

During this period, Pathan reportedly received multiple threatening calls from three separate numbers. In each instance, he was warned that the images would be released if he failed to pay the demanded amount of Rs 5 lakh.

After receiving the threats, Pathan approached the police and lodged a formal complaint at the Worli Police Station in Mumbai, detailing the sequence of events and the nature of the threats.

Based on his complaint, the police registered a case against unidentified persons under Sections 308(2), 308(3), and 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNS).

Officials said the investigation is underway, with efforts to trace the accused and verify the international links suggested by initial findings.

Further details in the case are awaited.

–IANS

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