In a sensitive case involving allegations of blackmail and forced conversion, Odisha police have arrested Sameer Mansoor, a 24-year-old youth from East Champaran, Bihar. He was apprehended following a complaint filed by a woman from Jagatsinghpur district. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pinak Mishra, confirmed that after completing legal formalities, Mansoor would be forwarded to court.
The complaint was registered on Friday after the woman filed an FIR at the Mahila Police Station. According to the woman, she met Sameer through an online gaming app in 2022, and their virtual friendship quickly blossomed into a relationship. Sameer, a mechanic currently working in Jammu and Kashmir, later visited Odisha, and the two spent time together in Puri. However, she later discovered that Sameer had concealed his identity, falsely presenting himself as a Hindu while belonging to a different community. Upon learning this, the woman ended the relationship and refused his marriage proposal.
Soon after, Sameer allegedly began blackmailing her, threatening to release intimate videos of the two unless she agreed to marry him and convert to his religion. Furthermore, he demanded Rs 5 lakh from her family, promising to delete the footage in exchange for the money.
After conducting a thorough investigation, police arrested Sameer as he disembarked from a train at a railway station. DCP Pinak Mishra added that Sameer’s mobile phone had been seized for forensic analysis, and further inquiries are underway. “The woman has been sent for a medical examination, and the reports are awaited,” said Mishra.
Sameer has been charged under various sections of the IPC, including sections 376(1) (rape), 385 (extortion), 386 (extortion by threat), 294 (obscene acts), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 66E, 67, and 67-A of the Information Technology Act. The police are also considering his remand for further investigation.
DCP Mishra emphasized the importance of reporting any online abuse or intimidation, particularly in cases involving gaming and social media platforms. “We urge users of online and gaming apps not to engage with strangers. If you face coercion or threats, please report it to the police. Your identity will be protected, and investigations will proceed as per the law,” he stated.
