Relative blackmails woman with obscene video, extorts jewellery

Lucknow: A Jankipuram resident on Saturday lodged an FIR with the Gudamba police, accusing a close relative of secretly recording an objectionable video of her and then extorting wedding jewellery worth approximately Rs 15 lakh through blackmail. According to the written complaint, she alleged that her husband's cousin surreptitiously recorded a video of her while she was bathing. The accused allegedly sent objectionable photographs and videos to her husband's mobile phone, triggering serious domestic discord and emotional trauma. The complainant said that after creating a rift between the couple, the accused assured her that he would resolve the dispute with her husband. Under this false pretext, he allegedly persuaded her to hand over her wedding jewellery, claiming he would keep it "safe" until the matter was settled. However, when the woman later demanded the return of her ornaments, the accused allegedly refused and instead threatened to circulate the obscene videos and images further to malign her reputation. The woman said that the accused later executed a written agreement through his lawyer, promising to return the jewellery within three days, but failed to do so. SHO, Gudamba, Prabhatesh Srivastava confirmed that an FIR had been registered and that a probe was under way.