KARACHI: A judicial magistrate has sentenced a man to a total of six years in prison on three counts for sharing indecent images and videos of a woman with her fiancé on WhatsApp with the intention of blackmailing her.

Judicial Magistrate (East) Yusra Ashfaq found Muhammad Anas guilty of the offences under Sections 20 (dignity of natural person), 21 (modesty of natural person and minor), 24 (cyberstalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and awarded him two-year imprisonment on each count.

The court observed: “The primary motive behind the accused’s actions appears to be rooted in exploiting the complainant’s trust and personal relationship to coerce and blackmail her. The complainant testified that she was in a relationship with the accused for several years, during which she voluntarily shared private images and videos with him.”

However, the court noted that the convict “later weaponised that material by sharing it with her fiancé and family members, violating her privacy and dignity.

“It confirms that obscene images and videos of the complainant were indeed transmitted from the accused’s device. The technical report substantiates that the device recovered from the accused was used for the transmission, making the forensic examination a pivotal aspect of the case. The importance of forensic examination in this case cannot be overstated,” the court observed.

“This act of distribution suggests an intent to harm the complainant emotionally and socially, possibly as a means of revenge or control, following the breakdown of their relationship. The evidence presented, including the complainant’s testimony and forensic analysis, underscores this motive,” the court remarked.

According to the prosecution, the woman approached the FIA Cyber Crime Cell and stated that in 2019 that she had a relationship with accused Anas and she had shared her private images and videos with him on his demand.

The complainant further stated that the convict never sent a marriage proposal to her family. However, when she got engaged to someone else, the convict allegedly retaliated by sharing her inappropriate images and videos with her fiancé, sister, and aunt on their WhatsApp numbers.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2025