Cyberstalking and Online Harassment of Women in Hyderabad: The Law and How to Complain

This guide is for women in Hyderabad and Telangana who are being stalked, monitored, threatened or sexually harassed online or by phone, and for their families. It explains the offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Information Technology Act, 2000, how each is classified for arrest and bail, how to ask a platform to remove content, and how to complain to the police in Hyderabad. If someone is threatening to leak images for money, see our guide on sextortion; for fake profiles and online defamation, see fake profiles and defamation.

What to do first · Stalking · Sexual harassment and insult · Private images · Threats · Bailable or not · Asking a platform to remove content · Complaining to the police · If it is a husband or partner · Checklist

What to do first

• Keep the evidence: screenshots showing the sender’s profile, number or ID, the date and time; the links (URLs) of posts; call logs; and anything found on your phone or vehicle, such as a tracking device.
• Report on the platform: social media and messaging platforms must have a grievance mechanism “by which a user or a victim may make complaint” (IT Rules, 2021, rule 3(2)(a)). See below.
• Go to the police: stalking, sexual harassment, voyeurism and insulting the modesty of a woman are cognizable offences. See complaining to the police.

Stalking (BNS section 78)

Under section 78(1), any man who does either of the following commits stalking:

• “(i) follows a woman and contacts, or attempts to contact such woman to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest by such woman; or”
• “(ii) monitors the use by a woman of the internet, e-mail or any other form of electronic communication”.

• Defences: it is not stalking if the man proves the conduct was for preventing or detecting crime when entrusted with that by the State, was under a law, or “in the particular circumstances such conduct was reasonable and justified”.
• Punishment: on first conviction, up to three years and fine; on a second or subsequent conviction, up to five years and fine (section 78(2)).
• “Any man”: in Criminal Petition No. 8289 of 2021 (3 February 2026), a Hyderabad case in which the complainant alleged her husband had fixed a GPS device in her car, the Telangana High Court quashed the stalking charge (under the old IPC section 354D, worded the same way) against a woman co-accused, saying the provision “envisages that “any man” who commits the alleged acts described under the section is made punishable.” The husband’s case was not before the court.

Sexual harassment and insulting a woman’s modesty

• Sexual harassment (section 75): a man commits sexual harassment by “(i) physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures; or (ii) a demand or request for sexual favours; or (iii) showing pornography against the will of a woman; or (iv) making sexually coloured remarks”. Clauses (i) to (iii): rigorous imprisonment up to three years, or fine, or both. Clause (iv): imprisonment up to one year, or fine, or both.
• Insulting the modesty of a woman (section 79): “Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any words, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object in any form, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman” is punishable with simple imprisonment up to three years and fine. Unlike sections 75 and 78, it begins with “Whoever”.
• Obscene material online: under section 67 of the IT Act, publishing or transmitting in electronic form material “which is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest” is punishable on first conviction with up to three years and a fine up to five lakh rupees; under section 67A, material containing “sexually explicit act or conduct”, up to five years and a fine up to ten lakh rupees. In Sharat Babu Digumarti v Govt. of NCT of Delhi (14 December 2016), decided under the Indian Penal Code, the Supreme Court held that where the IT Act covers obscenity in electronic form, it prevails over IPC section 292 as “a special law”.

Private images

• Voyeurism (BNS section 77): “Whoever watches, or captures the image of a woman engaging in a private act in circumstances where she would usually have the expectation of not being observed … or disseminates such image” is punishable on first conviction with one to three years and fine, and on a second or subsequent conviction with three to seven years and fine.
• Consent to a photo is not consent to share it: “Where the victim consents to the capture of the images or any act, but not to their dissemination to third persons and where such image or act is disseminated, such dissemination shall be considered an offence under this section” (Explanation 2).
• Violation of privacy (IT Act section 66E): whoever “intentionally or knowingly captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without his or her consent, under circumstances violating the privacy of that person” is punishable with up to three years, or a fine up to two lakh rupees, or both. This section applies whatever the victim’s gender.

If the images are being used to demand money, see our guide on sextortion.

Threats

• Criminal intimidation (section 351): threatening “by any means” injury to a person, reputation or property, with intent to cause alarm or to make the person do or not do something, is punishable with up to two years, or fine, or both. A threat “to cause death or grievous hurt” or “to impute unchastity to a woman”, among others, is punishable with up to seven years, or fine, or both (section 351(3)).
• Anonymous threats: intimidation “by an anonymous communication, or having taken precaution to conceal the name or abode of the person from whom the threat comes” carries up to two more years (section 351(4)).
• Section 66A is gone: in Shreya Singhal v Union of India (24 March 2015), the Supreme Court held that “Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 is struck down in its entirety”, and the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 omitted it. It should not appear in a complaint.

Cognizable and bailable status

As printed in the First Schedule to the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023:

Under the IT Act, an offence punishable with three years “shall be cognizable” and “shall be bailable” (section 77B), so sections 66E and 67 (first conviction) are cognizable and bailable. The court “shall not compound” an IT Act offence “committed against … a woman” (section 77A). Where a case involves two or more offences and at least one is cognizable, the case “shall be deemed to be a cognizable case” (BNSS section 174(4)).

Asking a platform to remove content

Under the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, as amended in February 2026 (MeitY consolidation updated as on 10 February 2026):

• Two hours for intimate or morphed images: the platform shall, “within two hours from the receipt of a complaint made by an individual or any person on his behalf”, take all reasonable and practicable measures to remove content that “exposes the private area of such individual, shows such individual in full or partial nudity or shows or depicts such individual in any sexual act or conduct, or is in the nature of impersonation in an electronic form, including artificially morphed images of such individual” (rule 3(2)(b)).
• Harassing content: platforms must make reasonable efforts to stop users sharing content that is “invasive of another’s privacy including bodily privacy, insulting or harassing on the basis of gender” (rule 3(1)(b)(ii)). A request to remove such content “shall be resolved within thirty-six hours of such reporting” (proviso to rule 3(2)(a)(i)).
• Other complaints: the Grievance Officer must “acknowledge the complaint within twenty-four hours and resolve such complaint within a period of seven days” (rule 3(2)(a)(i)).
• Court or police route: on a court order, or a reasoned written intimation from an authorised officer (for police, “not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police”), the platform must remove content “within three hours” (rule 3(1)(d)).
• Appeal: a person aggrieved by the Grievance Officer’s decision, or whose complaint is not resolved in time, may appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee “within a period of thirty days” (rule 3A(3)).

Complaining to the police

• Any police station: information about a cognizable offence may be given “irrespective of the area where the offence is committed … orally or by electronic communication” (BNSS section 173(1)). Electronic information must be signed within three days. A copy of the FIR “shall be given forthwith, free of cost” (section 173(2)).
• A woman officer: where the information is given by the woman against whom an offence under BNS sections 74 to 79, among others, is alleged, “such information shall be recorded, by a woman police officer or any woman officer” (first proviso to section 173(1)).
• If the police do not register: the informant may send the substance in writing by post to the Superintendent of Police, failing which she may apply to the Magistrate (section 173(4)). For offences punishable with three years or more but less than seven, the officer may, with permission, hold a preliminary enquiry within fourteen days (section 173(3)).
• Threats alone: criminal intimidation is non-cognizable, so if it is the only offence the police refer the informant to the Magistrate and need a Magistrate’s order to investigate (section 174).
• National portal: on cybercrime.gov.in, online and social media crimes are reported under “Report Other Cybercrimes”, which requires registration “using your name and valid Indian mobile number”. The portal’s anonymous option is stated for rape and gang-rape content only.
• Hyderabad Cyber Crimes Police Station: the Hyderabad City Police website lists “Cyber Stalking” and “Sending Threatening Emails” among the crimes it deals with, at the Central Crime Station Building, Old Commissioner Office, Baseerbagh, with PS and WhatsApp number 8712666346 (24/7).
• SHE Teams: the Telangana Police Women Safety Wing says women can approach SHE Teams for “Stalking” and “Online Harassment / Phone Harassment”, that “Complaints can be raised either directly or through social media, WhatsApp or Hawk Eye app”, and gives WhatsApp 8712656856. The Hyderabad City Police SHE Teams page says Dial 100 is the helpline for complaints and that “Victims name and identity will be kept confidential”. The Women Safety Wing’s Cyber Module lists “Cyber stalking”, “Trolling” and “Revenge porn”, with helpline 040 27852246.
• Identity of the victim: the offence of publishing a victim’s identity (BNS section 72) covers rape and related offences under sections 64 to 71, not stalking or harassment. A court has a general power to exclude the public from a hearing (BNSS section 366(1), proviso).
• Time limit: for offences punishable with imprisonment of more than one year and up to three years, such as stalking (first conviction) and section 79, the period for a court to take cognizance is three years, counted to the date of the FIR or complaint (BNSS section 514). Where offences are tried together, the most severe punishment decides the period (section 514(3)); a continuing offence starts a fresh period at every moment it continues (section 518); and a court may take cognizance after the period if the delay is properly explained or it is necessary in the interests of justice (section 519).

See our guides on reporting a cyber crime and police and arrest rights.

If it is a husband or partner

A woman in a “domestic relationship” can seek a protection order under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Under section 18(d), the Magistrate may prohibit the respondent from “attempting to communicate in any form, whatsoever, with the aggrieved person, including personal, oral or written or electronic or telephonic contact”. See our guides on domestic violence and the right to reside.

Checklist

• Screenshots with the sender’s ID or number, date and time, and the URL of each post.
• A dated list of incidents: messages, calls, following, tracking.
• Your platform complaint numbers and the platform’s replies.
• Any device found on your phone, laptop or vehicle, kept as it is.
• The FIR copy or the police acknowledgement.
• Do not reply to threats or delete the conversation.

Related guides: sextortion, fake profiles and defamation, cyber police notices, domestic violence and cybersecurity laws.

For a discussion about online harassment, stalking or a police complaint with Musab Hashmi & Associates, call +91 89771 24916 or send an enquiry. Do not send intimate images or identity numbers in any message.

General legal information, not legal advice. Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (Gazette copies), the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 and the Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 (Gazette copies), the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (MeitY consolidation updated as on 10 February 2026), the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, the Hyderabad City Police and Telangana Police Women Safety Wing websites, the Supreme Court judgments in Shreya Singhal v Union of India (24 March 2015) and Sharat Babu Digumarti v Govt. of NCT of Delhi (14 December 2016), and the Telangana High Court’s order in Criminal Petition No. 8289 of 2021 (3 February 2026).