HYDERABAD, September 4: A Nampally court has granted the Jubilee Hills police permission to take two key accused into custody for two days for questioning in a case involving the alleged trapping and blackmailing of minors from affluent families through Instagram.

The accused, Koduri Meena Kumari and Vineel Chaudhary, were taken into police custody after the court granted the investigators’ request. The police are expected to question the duo about the alleged network and its financial transactions.

According to the police, the gang targeted minor children from wealthy families by establishing contact with them through Instagram. The alleged kingpin, Arjun alias Koduri Chandrasekhar Azad, reportedly befriended minors from affluent families and gradually gained their trust by making promises and developing close relationships with them.

The police allege that the accused subsequently coerced some of the girls and recorded private videos. These videos were allegedly used to threaten the minors and their family members and extort large sums of money.

Investigators suspect that financial transactions linked to the alleged extortion were routed through the bank account of Arjun’s mother, Meena Kumari.

Jubilee Hills police arrested Meena Kumari and Vineel Chaudhary in Rajasthan on August 11 in connection with the case. The investigators later approached the Nampally court seeking their custody for further questioning.

With the court granting two days’ custody, police are expected to question the accused about the alleged victims, financial transactions, digital communications and other members who may have been involved in the network.

Investigators believe that the questioning could provide further leads and reveal additional details about the alleged operation.

Vijayawada: The BJP's state Social Media SC Morcha convener Lavinbabu lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station in Vijayawada on Sunday, seeking action against a Facebook account allegedly posting objectionable and indecent content targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party, its ideology and its leadership.

In the complaint submitted to the Inspector of the Vijayawada Cyber Crime Police Station, Lavinbabu alleged that a Facebook account operating under the name "Bere" had repeatedly published offensive posts against the BJP, its principles and its leaders. He contended that the account name itself was objectionable in nature and that the content being posted was designed to demoralise party leaders and workers.

The complaint further alleged that the Facebook handle had been publishing indecent posts likely to disturb social peace and harmony, making personally defamatory remarks against elected representatives and other respected public figures. Particular concern was raised over posts that allegedly sought to malign the dignity and reputation of women leaders of the party, which the complainant described as deeply objectionable.

Lavinbabu stated in the complaint that such actions not only caused damage to personal, political and social reputation but also constituted criminal offences under the law. He urged the police to immediately initiate criminal proceedings against one Rudraraju, identified as the operator of the account, or any other administrators associated with it, and to ensure the removal of all objectionable posts forthwith.

BJP party advocates Purushottam Reddy, Pativada Varun Kumar and Shanmukh Thorati accompanied Lavinbabu during the filing of the complaint.