Act fast

Someone is blackmailing me with my private photos or videos.

Simple answer

Don't pay and don't panic. Threatening to leak private photos or videos to get money or favours is a serious crime. Stop replying, save the evidence and report it on cybercrime.gov.in. Platforms must remove your intimate images within 2 hours of your complaint.

Real-life examples

Rahul accepted a video call from a stranger on social media. The caller recorded his face next to an obscene clip and demanded ₹20,000, threatening to send it to his family. He didn't pay, blocked the account, saved screenshots and filed a complaint. Paying usually only brings bigger demands.

Priya's ex-boyfriend threatened to post photos she had once sent him unless she met him. Even though she shared them willingly, publishing them without her consent is a crime. She complained to the cyber cell and asked the platform to remove them.

What should you do?

1Don't pay. Stop chatting, but don't delete the chats.
2Take screenshots of the profile link, username, phone number, messages and any UPI ID or account they give.
3Report on cybercrime.gov.in (it has a section for crimes against women and children) or at a cyber police station. If you already paid, call 1930.
4Report the account and content to the platform and its grievance officer, and ask for your intimate images to be removed.
5Make your friends list and social accounts private, and tell someone you trust.
6Feeling scared or ashamed? Call Tele-MANAS at 14416 for free, confidential support.

Exceptions & limits

If the person in the photos is under 18, the stricter POCSO Act applies, and anyone who knows must tell the police. Such content can be reported anonymously on cybercrime.gov.in, or call Childline 1098.

Official legal reference

Information Technology Act, 2000 — Section 66E
Capturing, publishing or sending images of a person's private parts without consent: up to 3 years' jail, fine up to ₹2 lakh, or both.
Read the official text
Information Technology Act, 2000 — Sections 67, 67A
Publishing or sending obscene (67) or sexually explicit (67A) material electronically: up to 3 and 5 years' jail respectively on first conviction, plus fine.
Read the official text
Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — Section 308
Extortion: making someone hand over money or property by threatening harm, including harm to their reputation.
Earlier: IPC Sections 383–389Read the official text
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 — Rule 3(2)(b)
On a complaint by the person shown, platforms must remove nude, sexual or morphed images of them — within 2 hours since February 2026 (24 hours earlier).
Read the official text