Man arrested for sexual harassment and blackmail

The all-women Virugambakkam Police Department has arrested a 35-year-old man for sexually harassing and blackmailing a young woman.

Police identified the arrested man as Karthik, a resident of Ashtalakshmi Nagar in Madurvoyal, who worked with a private firm. Police said he and the victim, a 24-year-old woman and an aspiring actress, were acquaintances. Karthik introduced her to his friend Deepak, who claimed to be a film producer and promised the victim a role in a film.

The two men took the victim to a hotel on East Coast Road where they took compromising photographs and videos on the pretext of a photoshoot. Using these, Karthik blackmailed her and threatened to upload them on the internet if she did not cooperate with them. He also extorted Rs 1.22 lakh from her. When the duo continued to sexually harass her, she filed a complaint, police said.