Chandigarh school scandal: Cops arrest juvenile student for morphing photos

A police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, disclosed,”The images in question, featuring female students, were acquired from a portal with restricted access, reserved for parents and school staff members. The apprehended juvenile, who also attends the same school, is believed to have been responsible for the manipulation of these images that subsequently went viral.”

According to an official statement issued by the Chandigarh police, “The investigation into this case, involving the creation of a counterfeit
Snapchat account for the distribution of objectionable photographs, was carried out by the PS Cyber Crime. All inappropriate content has been removed from social media platforms. One juvenile has been taken into custody within Chandigarh, with a mobile device containing the manipulated images now in police possession. This device will be sent to the CFSL for forensic analysis and data recovery. The apprehended juvenile has been presented before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB).”

When approached for comment, the school’s principal (name withheld) affirmed, “We will take appropriate disciplinary measures against the detained juvenile in accordance with the school’s regulations. Access to the portal is granted exclusively to parents and teachers. While it is conceivable that parents may share their login and password details with their children, we have initiated educational sessions aimed at raising awareness among students regarding the prevention of cybercrimes. Notwithstanding, we strictly prohibit the use of phones by students and teachers within the school premises.”

It is essential to note that concerned parents had alleged that the images in question, particularly those of female students, were illicitly procured from the school’s online portal. The alarming situation came to light when a parent arrived at the school’s Sector 25 campus to collect his daughter on a Tuesday, only to find her visibly distressed.

The distressed student had informed her father that someone had uploaded manipulated and objectionable images of her and her peers on a Snapchat platform. Her concern escalated as the posts gained widespread circulation on various social media channels.

Promptly, parents gathered at the Sector 25 school and reached out to the Police Control Room (PCR) vehicle on Wednesday. They subsequently sought assistance from SSP (UT) Kanwardeep Kaur at her office in Sector 9.

Police officials confirmed, stating, “At least four parents have come forward to officially register their complaints.” Parents have asserted
that the images, originally of the students, had been inappropriately tampered with, and were believed to have been sourced from the school’s online portal. The social media account responsible for disseminating these disturbingly altered images has since been removed from the internet. The police have filed a case against the unidentified culprits, and the matter is now under the purview of the Cyber Cell police station.