Auto-Rickshaw Driver Held for Cyber Harassment

• Delhi Police arrested Pune auto-rickshaw driver for cyber harassment.
• Yasin Shaikh allegedly hacked a North Delhi woman’s Facebook.
• Posted obscene content with her number and defamatory flyers.

GG News Bureau
Pune, 17th July: A woman from North Delhi, employed at a multinational company in Gurgaon, has finally found relief after enduring over two years of relentless cyber harassment. The ordeal culminated in the arrest of the accused, 49-year-old auto-rickshaw driver Yasin Shaikh, in Pune, Maharashtra.

Shaikh, who had no prior criminal record, allegedly orchestrated a malicious campaign against the victim. This included hacking her Facebook account, posting her mobile number with obscene captions, and even plastering physical posters across Pune falsely advertising her family as operating a “call girl service.” These actions led to the woman and her family being inundated with distressing and unwanted calls.

Relentless Harassment and Digital Arrest
The Delhi Police’s cybercrime team, after months of meticulous investigation, successfully apprehended Shaikh. During interrogation, he confessed to the egregious acts. The victim, a married woman from Sabzi Mandi in North Delhi, became the target of this harassment approximately two years ago. Shaikh not only hacked her Facebook account but also manipulated family photos to create obscene images, which he then circulated on social media.

He brazenly claimed that the family was involved in prostitution, posting the woman’s mobile number alongside derogatory captions like “call girl service.” This resulted in the victim receiving countless calls from unknown numbers inquiring about “rates.” To evade detection, Shaikh frequently deleted his social media accounts and created new ones every few hours, posing a significant challenge for authorities attempting to trace him. In Pune, his campaign extended offline, as he posted flyers on city walls and in railway station toilets, displaying the victim’s mobile number and advertising a fictitious escort service.

The continuous harassment severely impacted the victim’s mental health, leading to what authorities described as a form of “digital arrest.” Her husband and other relatives also faced harassment due to the widespread defamatory content.

Motive Revealed After Arrest
The breaking point for the victim came when she lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police. During questioning, Shaikh claimed his actions stemmed from a perceived slight. He asserted he was friends with a woman who worked alongside the victim’s husband in a Gurgaon company. Shaikh disapproved of their professional association and repeatedly urged his friend to distance herself from the husband. When she refused and subsequently “unfriended” him on social media due to his obsessive behavior, Shaikh retaliated by targeting the victim and her family.

Shaikh admitted to extracting the victim’s mobile number from her social media account and using it to create defamatory posts. He also confessed to making repeated calls and sending messages to both the victim and her husband, claiming his actions were meant to “punish the couple for ignoring his demands.” The woman Shaikh referred to as his friend denied any romantic involvement, stating she had only considered him an acquaintance before cutting contact due to his inappropriate behavior.