PESHAWAR: A local court has convicted a person under the cybercrimes law for creating fake accounts of a girl on social media and sentenced him on different counts to eight years imprisonment with fine of Rs50,000.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Kulsoom Azam granted benefit of section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure to the convict, Ehsan Sheraz, under which his period of detention prior to his conviction would be counted in his prison term.

The convict was arrested after an FIR was registered by Federal Investigation Agency, cybercrime wing, on Aug 22, 2017. Since then he has been behind bars as his bail petitions were rejected both by the sessions court as well as Peshawar High Court.

The convict had made three fake accounts of a girl, with whom he was acquaintance, and had posted her edited objectionable photos on those accounts.

Also fines him for creating fake accounts of girl on social media

The trial judge convicted him to two years imprisonment each on four counts under section 20 (offence against dignity of a person), section 21 (offence against modesty of a person by transmitting edited photos) and section 24 (cyber stalking) of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and section 507 (criminal intimidation by anonymous communication) of Pakistan Penal Code.

He was collectively fined Rs50,000 under the said four sections of laws and in default of payment of fine he would undergo six months more imprisonment. The sentences would run concurrently.

An assistant director (legal) of FIA, Jawed Ali, pointed out that there were plethora of evidence against the man and his commission of the offence was undeniable. He stated that the relevant cellular phone and a SIM card were also recovered from his possession through which he had created the fake social media identities.

During course of trial, the convict had also pleaded guilty to the offence and had committed that in future he would not repeat such like acts.

The trial judge observed that keeping in view the plea of his guilt coupled with the fact of his young age and feeling of remorse as well as his readiness to mend his ways and that neither he was reported to be habitual offender nor was he previously convicted in similar nature cases, a lenient view was taken in his favour by the court.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2019