A woman running a tailoring and beautician training academy in Bengaluru has filed a police complaint saying two people harassed her online, defamed her, and extorted her by demanding money for the removal of videos on social media.
The complainant is Chandini Beerappa, who runs a training institute known as Shivam Academy in Bengaluru’s Vijayanagar area. The complaint filed with the police said a young woman who had joined the academy for training allegedly recorded and uploaded videos with negative material about the institution on social media platforms.
Chandini confronted her about the videos and the impact they had on the academy's reputation. But instead of addressing the problem, the accused asked for money in exchange for deleting the videos and not posting other content online, the complaint said.
The accused woman, Chinmayi, and her associate, Deepak, have been accused of threatening to upload more videos if their demands were not met. Chandini said the two had demanded ₹3 lakh and had repeatedly approached her and had meetings and discussions on how to pay.
In various places, including hotels, the accused apparently negotiated the amount and continued to pressure the academy owner. The complainant claims that the duo repeatedly insisted on monetary compensation to remove the content and stop further online activity targeting her academy.
Law enforcement authorities have obtained video evidence of conversations on the monetary demands, sources said. The evidence will shape the investigation and will shed light on whether criminal intimidation, extortion, or other crimes were committed.
That’s because of the huge number of complaints about social media abuse, online defamation, and digital blackmail. Online marketing and communication platforms can be misused to spread misinformation, damage people’s reputations, and pressure people and businesses into paying up.
Chandini said she originally tried to handle the matter on her own, but finally went to the police after she was under continued pressure and harassment. She said repeated pressures and threats had caused a lot of mental stress on her and had affected her business.
The complaint also states that the content was posted on social media under the name “chinmayi_vlogs” as promotional or review-related posts. Police are now investigating whether the videos are real and how and why they were produced, and whether the content was intended to pressure the complainant.
Following the complaint, Govindarajanagar Police filed a case and launched an investigation. Officers are checking the involvement and investigating digital evidence (social media posts, video recordings, mobile phone data, and conversations between the parties).
Experts are to determine whether the allegations amount to criminal extortion, online harassment, defamation, or other crimes. Police haven't provided any further information about arrests or charges.
According to government officials, citizens and businesses who are victims of such online intimidation or extortion can report such incidents promptly rather than having to resolve them independently. “Digital evidence is key in terms of accountability and protection of victims from cyber-enabled crimes at the same time,” they said.
The investigation will continue, and further action will be taken based on the police investigation results.
