HYDERABAD: Several women and minor girls are falling prey to stalking online as well as on the phone, with city police receiving nearly 50 such complaints every month. However, very few cases are filed as most women and girls avoid going to police. Data provided by the Cyber Crime police has revealed that this year, as of July, the number of social media harassment cases has already touched 25 as compared to a similar number of cases filed in the entire 2017.Admitting that instances of social media and phone harassment have shot up, cops, however, said that in most cases the offender is warned, counselled and let off and that a case is registered only in severe cases.“There are cases where women and girls receive frequent calls and messages on social media. If not severe in nature, we warn and counsel the offenders and let them go. However, if the case is severe, we book the offenders in cases under sections such as 70 (c) of CP Act or 290 of IPC,” said ACP Narmada, SHE Team, Hyderabad.According to SHE Team officials, most victims are not keen on lodging cases and just want the accused to be warned so that they don’t bother them in the future.She also pointed out that if SHE Team receives very severe cases of harassment, which includes sending of obscene images and messages, they divert them to local police or cybercrime police. “However, we follow up on the cases,” added the ACP.Cybercrime police said they identified one repeated offender , Abdul Majid, and opened a rowdy sheet against him. Majid, who was earlier detained under the PD Act, targets women on social media and harasses them, cops said.“Majid is a repeat offender who has harassed hundreds of women and minor girls by creating fake Facebook accounts. We found that despite being detained multiple times, he repeats the same behaviour after a few months. Though instances of social media harassment are high, not all women choose to file FIRs,” said Raghu Vir, additional DCP (cybercrime).

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