A College Magazine Project Exposed a Kerala Student's Morphed Photos of Classmates

A routine college magazine project in Kerala's Kottayam district took a disturbing turn this week, ending with police arresting a 22-year-old engineering student accused of morphing photographs of his female classmates and storing the images on his personal devices.

The accused, identified as Changanassery native Ajmal T. Muhammed, is a fourth-year BTech student at a private college in Ettumanur. He was taken into custody on Saturday and later released on bail.

The go-to photographer on campus

According to police, Ajmal's latest-model smartphone had made him a popular choice among friends for taking pictures. He frequently photographed his classmates, and students told investigators that he had also taken photographs of students from other colleges during camps and other events.

How the images came to light

The matter surfaced recently when some of his friends accessed his laptop while working on a college magazine and came across morphed images of female students. Alarmed by what they saw, they alerted the college authorities and the police, following which Ajmal was taken into custody.

No sign the photos were shared, police say

Police said the morphed images found on his devices included photographs of students from his own class. Crucially, an examination of his mobile phone and laptop has so far found no evidence that the images were uploaded to any website or shared with others through groups or other platforms.

A case has been registered against Ajmal under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. The investigation, including a forensic examination by the cyber cell, is continuing.