A man aged around 41 years and his wife aged around 37 years were arrested on Friday in Hyderabad for allegedly streaming their sexual acts live on a mobile app in exchange for money police sources said.
The accused are residents of Mallikarjuna Nagar in Amberpet. The couple was detained by a special task force STF which also seized several items including high-definition cameras and other incriminating equipment used in the acts from their home.
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According to the sources during a preliminary probe the couple confessed to engaging in the act as a way to earn easy money. The man an auto driver by profession and his wife had allegedly uploaded both live and pre-recorded videos of their sexual acts on the app catering mostly to young users willing to pay for explicit content.
The live streams were sold for Rs 2000 per session while the recorded clips were priced at Rs 500.
The couple earned a substantial amount of money surpassing the manrsquos regular earnings from driving his auto-rickshaw.
Police have also discovered that the accused duo took extra precautions during their illegal activities using high-definition cameras for the recordings and wearing masks to conceal their identities.
The East Zone Task Force carried out a raid on their residence on Thursday after receiving a tip-off which led to the couplersquos arrest. The police have filed a case under the Information Technology Act as the couplersquos actions violated online regulations.
It is said that the couple financially struggled and were unable to pay the college fees for their two daughters both of whom are high achievers. One of the daughters is a 2nd-year B.Tech student while the other had recently scored an impressive 468 out of 470 in her intermediate exams and was preparing to pursue higher education.
In addition the auto driver was facing health issues and was unable to afford his medical treatment prompting the duo to indulge in illegal activities.
A detailed probe to find out the involvement of others if any is underway.
This case highlights increasing concern over the use of digital platforms for illegal activities with authorities continuing to crack down on such offenses.
Police have also warned of the dangers posed by unlawful apps facilitating explicit content urging users to be mindful of the legal consequences.