The All-Women Police, Tiruvottiyur, have arrested a 27-year-old man for allegedly obtaining gold jewellery from a 33-year-old married woman on various pretexts and later threatening to upload her photographs on social media when she demanded the jewellery back.
The police said the woman was estranged from her husband in 2024, and they lived separately. During this time, she became acquainted with Harikrishnan on Instagram. He claimed to be a lawyer and a friend of her younger brother and offered to provide legal assistance to resolve her marital dispute. According to the complaint, Harikrishnan developed a close relationship with the woman and allegedly took intimate photographs of her without her knowledge.
Later, the woman’s relatives helped her reconcile with her husband, after which they began living together. The police said Harikrishnan subsequently approached the woman on several occasions, claiming that he urgently needed money. He allegedly told her that if she gave him gold jewellery, he could pawn it for money and return the items after repaying the loan. Trusting him, the woman handed over around 155 sovereigns of gold jewellery in instalments since July 2024.
The police said that when the woman and her husband demanded that the jewellery be returned, Harikrishnan allegedly refused and threatened to upload her photographs on social media. He also allegedly threatened to kill her, claiming that he had previously been in prison.
The woman later learnt that Harikrishnan was not a lawyer. She alleged that he had provided false information, gained her trust by promising to help her, and misappropriated her jewellery. Based on her complaint, the police registered a case under sections relating to cheating, the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, and the Information Technology Act and arrested Harikrishnan. A mobile phone was seized from him.
Published – September 17, 2026 07:09 pm IST
