January 13, Colombo (LNW): Law enforcement authorities have raised alarm over a growing number of complaints involving the covert filming of intimate encounters and the subsequent blackmail of victims, police said.

According to the Officer-in-Charge of Information Technology and Computer Crime Investigations in Galle, K.K.R. Alwis, offenders are increasingly using miniature, high-tech cameras to secretly record private moments. These devices are often concealed in everyday objects such as shirt collars, pens, or hidden within rooms at guest houses and lodges, making them difficult to detect.

Police say the recordings frequently involve married women engaged in extramarital relationships as well as young couples. Once filmed, the footage is used to threaten victims with exposure on online platforms unless money or other favours are provided. In some cases, young men have reportedly persuaded women they are romantically involved with to visit lodges, only to later exploit secretly recorded footage for extortion.

Alwis cited a recent case involving a 45-year-old woman whose husband works overseas. She had entered into a relationship with a man employed at a local bakery, who allegedly recorded their encounters without her knowledge and is now demanding money while threatening to publish the videos online.

In another disturbing incident, police are investigating allegations against an individual posing as a spiritual healer. The suspect is said to have exploited a woman by claiming she was under negative astrological influence, convincing her that intimate rituals were necessary to remove it. The encounters were reportedly recorded in secret and later used to extort money from the woman, whose husband is also employed abroad.

Police have urged the public to remain vigilant, particularly warning young women to exercise caution in personal relationships and advising married women of the serious risks associated with secret affairs.

Authorities have reiterated that victims should come forward without fear, stressing that cybercrime units are equipped to investigate such offences and take action against perpetrators.