A fast track women’s court here on Tuesday sentenced a 22-year-old man to life imprisonment for threatening to upload a morphed picture of a minor girl, which led to the girl’s death.
The prosecution’s case was that K Nandakumar of Kodumudi taluk bought a new mobile phone in 2019 and took photographs of passers-by on the road. He also took selfies with some minor girls, including a 15-year-old girl, who was studying in class X.
On April 21, 2019, he tampered with the girl’s picture and put it as a display picture in his WhatsApp number. When the girl questioned him, Nandakumar threatened her that he would morph some more pictures and present her in bad shape.
Angered by this, the girl informed her mother. When the mother went to interrogate her, the girl ended her life at home. Kodumudi police registered a case under section 305 (abetment of child to suicide) of IPC and section 11(1) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012 and arrested Nandakumar.
Women’s court judge R. Malathi sentenced him to life imprisonment and fined ₹5,000.
Help for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available at the state’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline at 044-24640050.