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Common situations
Cyberstalking, Online Harassment & Fake Profiles
For being followed, monitored, or harassed online, or having a fake profile or an intimate image shared without consent -- distinct from the existing cyber_fraud_non_emergency route, which is scoped to money already lost.
Steps
1. Recognise this covers online stalking, harassment, and impersonation -- not financial fraud.
If money has been taken from you, use the cyber_fraud_non_emergency route or call 1930 instead. This route covers being monitored/contacted despite disinterest, a fake profile created in your name, or an intimate image shared without consent.
2. Preserve evidence before reporting -- don't delete anything.
Screenshots of the profile, messages, or comments, the account's URL/username, and timestamps -- capture these immediately, since a harasser can delete or deactivate an account at any time.
3. Report the content directly to the platform first.
Most platforms have a dedicated reporting flow for impersonation, harassment, or non-consensual intimate imagery, and can remove content and disclose account information to law enforcement on a valid legal request.
4. File a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
cybercrime.gov.in has a dedicated category for crimes against women and children, including an option to report anonymously -- covering cyberstalking, fake profiles, and image-based abuse.
5. Register an FIR at the police station or the nearest cyber cell.
Cyberstalking and online harassment are cognizable offences -- the police must register an FIR; if a station is reluctant, the Superintendent of Police or the Magistrate can be moved directly.
6. Know the specific offences that apply.
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023's stalking provision (the direct successor to IPC s.354D, exact new section number not independently confirmed this pass, so not asserted here) covers monitoring a woman's use of the internet/email/electronic communication, or contacting her despite a clear indication of disinterest. Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, 2000 penalises capturing, publishing, or transmitting a private image of a person without consent, violating their privacy.
7. For a fake profile impersonating you, that is a separate, additional offence.
Section 66C of the IT Act, 2000 penalises identity theft -- fraudulently using another person's identifying feature -- and Section 66D penalises cheating by personation using a computer resource -- both apply to a fake profile created in your name.
National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (Crimes Against Women & Children category): https://cybercrime.gov.in/
Helpline: 1930; 181 (Women Helpline)
Good to know
Handled by: Police / State Cyber Crime Cell; Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C)
Who can use this: Anyone being monitored, contacted despite disinterest, impersonated online, or whose private image has been shared without consent.
This does not cover: Does not cover money already stolen through a scam -- that's the separate cyber_fraud_non_emergency route. Does not itself compel a platform to remove content instantly -- platforms act on their own policies and on valid legal process. Does not cover a purely offline stalking/harassment situation with no online element.
Time limit: No fixed deadline to report -- but earlier reporting improves the chance a platform can preserve account data before it's deleted. (Not fixed by statute)
Cost: Free -- both the police complaint and the cybercrime.gov.in portal charge nothing.
You'll need:- The platform(s) involved and the harasser's username/profile URL, if known
- Dates and description of the stalking/harassment/impersonation
- Whether a private image was shared without consent, and where
- Whether you have already reported to the platform itself
- Your relationship, if any, to the person believed responsible
Documents that help:- Screenshots of messages, comments, or the fake profile
- The platform's own report acknowledgment, if any
- A list of URLs/links where content has appeared
- Any prior police complaint or protection order, if related to a known individual
What happens after: The complaint is investigated by the jurisdictional cyber cell, which can seek account/subscriber information from platforms and pursue prosecution under the applicable IT Act/BNS provisions. Content removal depends on the platform's own response to a report or legal request.
Legal remedies available
These are the remedies Indian law provides for this kind of situation -- not a recommendation, and not every remedy will apply to your own facts.
FIR for cyberstalking
Police / Judicial Magistrate
The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023's stalking provision (successor to IPC s.354D) lets a victim of online monitoring or repeated, unwanted contact register a cognizable criminal complaint.
Prosecution for violation of privacy
Police / Criminal Court
Section 66E of the Information Technology Act, 2000 penalises capturing, publishing, or transmitting a private image of a person without their consent -- covering non-consensual intimate imagery shared online.
Prosecution for identity theft or cheating by personation
Police / Criminal Court
Sections 66C and 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000 penalise fraudulently using another person's identifying features and cheating by personation using a computer resource -- both apply to a fake profile created in a victim's name.
Platform content takedown
The platform itself, via its own reporting or legal-request process
Most platforms will remove content that violates their impersonation, harassment, or non-consensual-imagery policies on a valid report, or on a formal legal request/court order -- a practical remedy that runs alongside, not instead of, the criminal process.
Common questions
Someone created a fake profile using my photos -- what can I actually do?
Report it to the platform for removal, then file on cybercrime.gov.in and/or an FIR -- creating a fake profile using your identifying features can be prosecuted under IT Act s.66C (identity theft) and s.66D (cheating by personation), on top of any platform takedown.
Is it a crime if someone keeps messaging me on social media even after I've asked them to stop?
Yes, it can be. Monitoring your online activity or contacting you despite a clear indication of disinterest is covered by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita's own stalking provision, the direct successor to the old IPC s.354D -- a cognizable offence.
Can I report anonymously if someone has shared an intimate image of me without my consent?
Yes. cybercrime.gov.in has a dedicated 'Report Anonymously' option for this specific category, and Section 66E of the IT Act, 2000 makes capturing, publishing, or transmitting such an image without consent a punishable offence.
What if the harasser is using a fake number or a burner account -- can they still be traced?
Often, yes. The police/cyber cell can request account and IP/subscriber information from the platform and telecom providers as part of the investigation -- an anonymous account doesn't make tracing impossible, though it can add time to the process.
Should I block the person first, or keep the account visible to report it?
Preserve the evidence (screenshots, URLs, timestamps) before blocking -- once blocked, you may lose the ability to see or capture further messages/content from that account, so document everything first, then block.
Governing law: Information Technology Act, 2000, ss.66C, 66D, 66E; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023's stalking provision (successor to IPC s.354D)
Source: Information Technology Act, 2000, ss.66C, 66D, 66E. Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, s.78 (stalking, direct successor to IPC s.354D) -- first offence up to 3 years' imprisonment and a fine; second/subsequent offence up to 5 years and a fine.
Aadhrix does not decide which route applies to you. This describes the official process as published — consider an advocate for advice specific to your situation.
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