Mumbai : Waris Pathan, a senior leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, has alleged that his social media account was hacked and that he was threatened with the circulation of morphed private photographs unless he paid ₹5 lakh, police officials said on Sunday.
According to the Worli Police Station, a case has been registered and an investigation is currently underway.
Officials stated that after the alleged hacking, Waris Pathan began receiving calls from unidentified individuals who demanded ₹5 lakh.
The callers allegedly warned that private photographs of him and his family would be digitally altered and circulated publicly if the payment was not made.
Police sources said the accused contacted Pathan using three different international phone numbers and issued repeated threats during multiple calls.
Preliminary findings suggest that the origin of these calls may be linked to Cambodia, although officials clarified that this aspect is still under verification.
The incident reportedly began on April 16, when Pathan’s social media account was compromised. Following this, the perpetrators allegedly accessed personal images and threatened to misuse them.
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Pathan later approached the police and filed a formal complaint detailing the sequence of events. Based on his complaint, authorities have registered a case against unidentified persons under Sections 308(2), 308(3), and 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNS).
Police officials confirmed that efforts are ongoing to trace the accused and establish the full extent of the cybercrime network involved.
Further developments in the case are awaited.
