London: An Indian-origin had hacked into the computer accounts of over 574 girls and young women to exploit them. The person has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for blackmail, voyeurism and cybercrimes by a UK court. The man has been identified as Akash Sondhi. The accused gained unauthorised access to hundreds of social media accounts, in particular ‘Snapchat’. Then Sondhi went on to commit blackmailing crimes between December 26, 2016 and March 17, 2020, the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
The 27-year-old is from Chafford Hundred in Essex, south-east England. He threatened his victims that if they didn’t send him nude images of themselves, he would post intimate images of them to their friends and family. Some of the women complied and in at least six cases he went on to carry out his threats, the court said.
“Akash Sondhi is an extremely manipulative man who inflicted emotional and psychological damage on young women. He also got gratification from their images and videos,” said Joseph Stickings, a Senior Crown Prosecutor.
“Following a diligent and thorough investigation conducted by the Essex Police Cyber Crime Unit the CPS was able to build a comprehensive case of 65 counts reflecting the high level of his offending,” informed Stickings.
“I would like to thank all of the women who bravely came forward to tell of their traumatic experiences at the hands of Akash Sondhi. Their accounts provided strong evidence and the CPS were able to create such a compelling prosecution case that Akash Sondhi pleaded guilty to all counts,” he added.
The CPS said a number of Sondhi’s victims experienced serious emotional and psychological harm in the aftermath of his despicable actions, with one victim even attempting suicide.
Sondhi admitted a total of 65 offences – including hacking, blackmail, and voyeurism. He was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court 11 years in prison, a five year Serious Crime Prevention Order, and placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years.