Actor's WhatsApp account hacked, lewd calls made to friends

An actor has complained to Mumbai Police that an unidentified person allegedly hacked his WhatsApp account and made obscene video calls from it to his friends and colleagues, a police official said on Wednesday. Based on the complaint, the Goregaon police here registered an FIR on Tuesday against the unidentified person under Indian Penal Code Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman) and provisions of the Information Technology Act, he said.

Sanchay Goswami, who has worked in some films and television serials, told the police that someone gained unauthorized access to his WhatsApp account, which was then converted into a business account. The hacker later started sending obscene messages and making video calls to his colleagues and friends, the official said.

One of Goswami's friend received a video call from his number in which a man could be seen masturbating, following which she immediately informed the actor about it. Later, some of Goswami's other colleagues also got obscene calls and messages on WhatsApp following which he approached the police, the official said.

Goswami told PTI that while he was returning from the Mumbai airport around 12.15 am on Monday, he got a six-digit OTP (one-time-password) on his mobile phone which he ignored. He then got a call from an international number and thought it was from his brother who lives in the US.

That call showed a computer-generated six-digit pin, so he disconnected it immediately as he found it to be fishy. He then started getting more calls and OTP and later his phone got switched off, the actor said.

"Then I started getting calls from my friends and family members on my other number about my WhatsApp account being hacked," he said. He then got to know about his friends receiving obscene messages and video calls, Goswami said, adding that some of them also get OTPs and spam messages.

He then rushed to Goregaon police station and submitted a written complaint. The actor said he later also posted a message on all his social media accounts, including Instagram and Facebook, apologizing to his friends and family members, and asked them not to accept any calls on WhatsApp from his number.

"We have registered the FIR and an investigation is underway," the police official said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)