A hacker of Indian origin has been sentenced to 11 years in jail. (Figurative)
London:
An Indian man who hacked into the pc accounts of greater than 574 ladies and younger ladies to use them was sentenced to 11 years in jail for blackmail, voyeurism and cybercrime by a UK court docket.
Akash Sondhi gained unauthorized entry to a whole bunch of social media accounts, notably Snapchat, and dedicated blackmail offenses between December 26, 2016 and March 17, 2020, stated the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) of the UK.
The 27-year-old from Chafford Hundred in Essex, within the south-east of England, threatened his victims that if they didn’t ship him nude pictures of them, he would submit intimate pictures of them to family and friends. Among the ladies complied and in not less than six instances he went on to hold out his threats, he stated.
“Akash Sondhi is an especially manipulative man who inflicted emotional and psychological hurt on younger ladies, whereas additionally gratifying himself along with his pictures and movies,” stated Joseph Stickings, Senior Crown Prosecutor within the CPS Complicated Instances Unit.
“After a diligent and thorough investigation by the Essex Police CyberCrime Unit, the CPS was in a position to construct a full case of 65 counts that mirrored the excessive degree of their crime,” he stated.
“I wish to thank all the ladies who bravely stepped out to share their traumatic experiences by the hands of Akash Sondhi. Their accounts offered robust proof and the CPS was in a position to create a prosecution case so compelling that Akash Sondhi pleaded responsible to all accounts.” added.
The CPS stated that a number of of Sondhi’s victims suffered severe emotional and psychological injury on account of his despicable actions, and one sufferer even tried suicide.
Sondhi admitted to a complete of 65 crimes, together with hacking, blackmail and voyeurism, and was sentenced in Basildon Crown Courtroom to 11 years in jail, a five-year Felony Prevention Order and positioned on the Offenders Registry. Sexual for 10 years.
Essex police stated Sondhi focused 574 victims within the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Romania and different international locations by hacking into his social media accounts, whereas a few of his victims have but to be traced.
Sondhi’s handle on Hedingham Highway in Chafford Hundred, Essex, was raided by officers from the drive’s CyberCrime Unit on March 19 final yr after a number of victims, aged 16 to 25, made stories.
“He unashamedly focused pretending to be a pal on social media after hacking accounts, then as soon as he had entry to their intimate pictures, he would attempt to blackmail them into disclosing the pictures to family and friends by demanding extra pictures and movies of his personal. to victims by means of a ordeal that causes them nice misery and disgrace, “stated Detective Sgt. Ian Collins of the Essex Police CyberCrime Unit.
“Since his preventive detention and now this sentence now we have managed to forestall this vile prison from focusing on extra victims. It is a wake-up name for anybody who commits the sort of crime: we are going to catch him and produce him to justice, and he can go to jail . for the anguish precipitated to the victims, “he stated.
The detective additionally urged social media customers to not retailer intimate pictures of themselves and to safe and defend their knowledge.
“Do not share passwords, even in the event you suppose it is a trusted pal asking for them, it may not be,” he stated.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is robotically generated from a syndicated feed.)