Case : Morphed photographs

State : Delhi, India

City : New Delhi, India

Sections of Law 67 of IT Act, 120-B, 506, 509 IPC

Background The complainant was receiving threatening and obscene e-mails from unknown people. The e-mails contained the complainant’s obscene morphed photographs. The accused threatened to post these on pornographic Websites and alleged that one such photograph was posted on a popular Website.

Investigation The IP address used for posting the obscene photograph(s) on the Website and the mails sent to the complainant were retrieved and traced to a company in Delhi. A search of the computer terminals located in the company’s premises was conducted. The log records and cookies were examined. During the process the morphed photograph of the complainant was found in one of the terminals used by the accused. The e-mail accounts mentioned were also accessed after disclosure by the accused. The central processing unit of the computer was seized and sent for a forensic analysis to the central forensic science laboratory. Using disk imaging and analysis tools, the mirror image of the hard disk was taken and analysed which led to the recovery of all the incriminating data/files required for the case During the investigation it was learnt that the accused was an ex-colleague of the complainant.