A couple accused of blackmailing a man with an explicit video has been denied bail by a magistrate in Suva today.
Ria Ramita Chandra, 31, and Pranesh Shire Sharma, 29, appeared before Magistrate Sufia Hamza at the Suva Magistrates Court.
They are facing charges for offences under Fiji’s Crimes Act, Online Safety Act, and Cybercrime Act that attract fines of up to $50,000 and jail time of up to 10 years. The pair were read the charges, which they confirmed they understood.
They did not respond to the allegations when given an opportunity to speak, but informed the court they intended to seek Legal Aid. They offered to pay cash bail — $500 and $400 respectively — but the application was opposed by prosecutors and ultimately denied by the court.
The prosecution argued that the matter was of public interest and reflected the growing prevalence of such offences in Fiji.
The case has been adjourned to July 25 for mention.
The charges relate to a complaint lodged by a man with the Online Safety Commission on June 30, alleging the couple had obtained an explicit video of him and demanded money, threatening to release the footage if he did not pay. Although the victim initially complied, further threats were allegedly made, with the pair said to have obtained a total of $1,841 via mobile money and cash.
Chandra and Sharma are jointly charged with:
- One count of Traffic Obscene Publication under the Crimes Act 2009,
- One count of Posting an Intimate Visual Recording without consent under the Online Safety Act 2018
- One count of Computer-Related Extortion and Fraud under the Cybercrime Act 2021.
Under Fiji’s Online Safety Act, posting or threatening to post an intimate recording without consent can result in a $20,000 fine, five years in prison, or both. The Cybercrime Act provides for penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a $50,000 fine, or both for computer-related extortion and fraud.
The Online Safety Commission’s Abuse Team, working with its Police Liaison Officer, located the couple and handed them over to Totogo Police for investigation.
