Actor Kalpika Ganesh booked for online harassment

Hyderabad: The cybercrime police booked actor-influencer Kalpika Ganesh following a complaint lodged by the sister of a pub owner, who accused her of allegedly abusing and defaming their family on social media. The complainant, who is married to a businessman from Jubilee Hills and is the sister of a pub owner in Gachibowli, approached the Hyderabad cybercrime police and lodged a complaint against Kalpika."She is posting abusive and defamatory content against me on Instagram and has also sent vulgar voice messages to my email. She is doing the same to my sister-in-law," the complaint alleged, demanding an apology from the actress for her behaviour. The complainant also submitted evidence, including screenshots, voice notes, and URLs.Based on the complaint, a case was registered against Kalpika Ganesh under Section 67 of the IT Act and Sections 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 356 (Defamation) of the BNS. "We are analysing the evidence, and a notice will soon be issued to the actor, directing her to appear before the investigating officer for questioning," said a cybercrime official.It may be recalled that the Gachibowli police booked Kalpika for allegedly creating a ruckus at a pub in Gachibowli on May 29. According to the FIR, the 33-year-old actor demanded that her cheesecake be served free of cost. When the staff refused, she allegedly hurled abuses at the general manager, flung a brownie plate, and live-streamed the confrontation. The incident reportedly occurred after she was handed a bill of Rs 2,200.In connection with that incident, Kalpika was charged under Sections 351, 352, and 324 of the BNS for criminal intimidation, intentional insult, and mischief. Speaking to the media after the pub incident, Kalpika, who has over 57,000 followers on Instagram, claimed that the pub's staff "manhandled" her.Meanwhile, the officials said that both cases will be investigated independently. However, the officials said that they are examining whether the alleged online harassment is linked to the May 29 incident.