Kasaragod studio photographer held for morphing women’s photos, sharing explicit images online

Kasaragod: Cyber police in Kasaragod arrested a studio photographer on charges of publishing obscene and sexually explicit content online, following complaints from several women that their photographs had been taken from social media and morphed without consent.

The accused, Anoop Bepu (25), a native of Bepu in Iriyanni village under Muliyar panchayat, was arrested by a team led by Cyber Police Station House Officer Inspector Mohammed Khan. He was taken into custody while hiding at a relative’s house.

Police seized a desktop computer, two mobile phones and a hard disk from the accused. These have been sent for forensic examination. According to preliminary findings, the accused had collected more than 32 photographs of women, including from Instagram accounts, and uploaded them to a Telegram group known for adult content.

The same images later appeared from another ID in morphed, explicit form, said P Raveendran, who is part of the investigation. “We have to ascertain whether the same person operated both accounts,” the officer said.

Police said that even otherwise, the accused had sourced images from social media without consent and uploaded them to such groups, indicating his role in a network engaged in similar activities. The morphed images were then circulated through Telegram and other platforms. There are also complaints that images of some men were used along with those of women to create obscene content.

So far, five victims have filed formal complaints, though police believe the number could be higher. The women have been counselled and assured that the images will be taken down and those responsible held accountable, police said.

The first complaint was filed weeks ago by a woman who was alerted by a person from Coimbatore about the misuse of her images. The accused was initially questioned and let off when the complainant did not pursue the case. Later, three more women came forward with statements. "Though their complaints named Anoop, we delayed his arrest because he had to be sure he was behind this," said the officer quoted above.

Police have written to Telegram seeking technical details and digital evidence, and similar requests will be sent to other platforms. The incident triggered protests in Bepu village, the accused’s hometown, with residents condemning the targeting of women and demanding action.

Anoop has been booked under Section 78 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for stalking, and Sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act for publishing or transmitting obscene material and sexually explicit photos through electronic form.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. The accused was produced before a Judicial First Class Magistrate in Kanhangad, who was in charge of the Chief Judicial Magistrate court in Kasaragod, and remanded in judicial custody.