A Hyderabad couple was arrested for streaming sexual videos on a mobile app to make quick money due to financial stress. Police seized equipment and are probing deeper into the case under the IT Act.
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Telangana: A couple from Hyderabad was arrested by police for allegedly live-streaming their private moments through a mobile app to earn money.
According to the police-
“The couple was in dire need of finances and resorted to such acts to make easy money.”
Police said that the couple had two daughters who are bright students. One is studying in her second year of B.Tech, and the other scored 468 out of 470 in her Intermediate exams and is preparing for college. The parents were struggling to pay their college fees.
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The man, who drives an auto for a living, was also not in good health. Due to his health problems, he couldn’t drive regularly and was unable to manage the medical expenses either, police added.
The couple was arrested from Mallikarjuna Nagar in Amberpet on Thursday. During the arrest, police seized several items from their house including high-definition cameras.
“Several equipment, including high definition cameras, were seized from their house.”
Police said that the couple would create both live and recorded videos of their sexual acts and sell them to app users—mostly young people—who were ready to pay for this kind of content.
“A live video would cost Rs 2,000 while a recorded clip would be sold for Rs 500.”
According to police,
“The couple earned more money than what the man alone earned by driving an auto, through this racket.”
They were using good quality HD cameras for the recordings, and to hide their identities, they wore masks during the acts.
“They also reportedly wore masks to conceal their identities during the act,”
-said police officials.
The East Zone Task Force conducted a raid at their home based on a tip-off and arrested them.
“The couple’s house was raided by the East Zone Task Force and they were arrested on the basis of a tip-off.”
A case has been registered under the Information Technology (IT) Act. The investigation is still going on. Also, police have issued notices to those who bought these videos.
“A case under provisions of the Information Technology Act has been registered and a probe is underway,”
-the police said.
“Notices have also been issued to those who purchased the videos from the couple,”
-they added.
Violation of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and Other Relevant Laws
The Hyderabad couple’s actions fall under multiple legal violations under Indian cyber and criminal law.
As per police statements, a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which deals with the publication and transmission of obscene content in electronic form.
Relevant Legal Provisions Involved
- Section 67 of the IT Act, 2000
“Whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form, any material which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest…”
➤ Punishment: Imprisonment up to 3 years and fine up to Rs 5 lakh for the first conviction. For subsequent convictions, imprisonment can go up to 5 years and fine up to Rs 10 lakh. - Section 67A of the IT Act
Covers publishing or transmitting material containing sexually explicit acts.
➤ Punishment: Imprisonment up to 5 years and fine up to Rs 10 lakh. - Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
Penalizes sale and circulation of obscene content, including videos and images.
➤ Punishment: Up to 2 years’ imprisonment and/or fine for the first offense. - Section 293 IPC
For selling or distributing obscene material to a person under the age of 20. Since the content was reportedly bought by youth, this section may also apply. - Section 354C IPC (Voyeurism) (if third-party filming is involved, which is not the case here but legally relevant)
If content was recorded without consent, or shared without consent (including by buyers), additional charges may be attracted. - Juvenile Protection Laws (POCSO Act)
If any buyer or viewer of the content is found to be a minor, charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act could be invoked against the couple and the app/platform involved.
Legal Responsibility of Buyers and Platforms
The police have issued notices to those who purchased these videos, which opens legal inquiry into their roles as consumers of illegal and obscene content. Under Section 67 and 67A of the IT Act, even viewers and purchasers of such material can be held liable if they store, share, or redistribute such content knowingly.
Digital platforms or apps hosting such content may also be held accountable under the Intermediary Guidelines (2021) if due diligence is not followed in content monitoring.
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