Mumbai, Oct 3: Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar on Friday said his teen daughter was asked to send her nude photo while playing an online video game on her mobile, but showed presence of mind and shut off the device.
The actor shared the disturbing incident before an audience, which included Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior police officials, at a cyber safety awareness programme in Mumbai.
Narrating the incident, the actor said his daughter was playing the online video game a few months ago, when she encountered an unknown person who initially sent friendly and encouraging messages.
The person then abruptly asked his daughter to send her nude picture, the actor said. Showing presence of mind, she immediately switched off the mobile phone, went to her mother and told her about what had happened, Akshay Kumar said.
The actor said his daughter’s alertness saved her from falling prey to cyber criminals.
Speaking after the inauguration of cyber awareness month at state police headquarters in south Mumbai, the actor requested Fadnavis that students of class 7 to 10 in the state should be taught cyber awareness in their schools.
Some time after his daughter began playing the online game, the person from the other side asked her where she was, and she replied that she was from Mumbai, he said.
As the game progressed, the person kept sending courteous messages. After some time, he asked her whether she was a male or female, to which the actor’s daughter replied that she was a female.
After some time, the person asked her to send her nude pictures to him, Akshay Kumar said. “She immediately switched off the whole thing (mobile), went to her mother and told her what had happened,” the actor added.
“This is how everything begins. It is great that my daughter spoke to my wife about it,” the actor said.
“This is a part of cyber crime, where children get carried away. In some cases, people face extortion and many things happen. There are many cases where the victim ends life,” the actor said.
The actor said, “In school, we learn history and maths. We also learn two plus two is four. But in the cyber world that four can become zero. Our children should learn all this.”
“I would like to request the CM that in Maharashtra schools from class 7 to 10, there should be a weekly ‘period’ on cyber safety,” he said. Cyber crime is bigger than street crime and we have to prevent it, he added. (PTI)
