The Star: April 18, 2024

Thursday April 18 2024 The Star
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
NEWS 7
passport fraud and blackmail scheme
Maharaj then threatened to
distribute the intimate photos
and videos of her and her partner
he had found on the phone,
and, confirming he knew her
address, that he would go to her
house and force her into sexual
acts.
The next day, Maharaj sent a
message to the woman saying
she looked “hot” in the photos
and that he would back up
everything from the phone to his
device and then give it back – but
first, he wanted to see her “in
person the same way as in the
pics”.
He described himself as a
“hacker” and said he would post
the woman’s photos and make
her famous.
The couple went to the police
and when later spoken to by
officers, Maharaj claimed he was
“doing a good thing” by keeping
the phone safe and trying to
return it.
About three months later,
Maharaj hacked a student’s email
account and used it to access his
personal and business Instagram
accounts.
That led to him discovering
intimate photos and videos of
the student and his girlfriend,
who were not known to him, that
had been saved in their messages
to one another.
Maharaj threatened to post
GUILTY PLEAS: Krishneel Nath Maharaj was sentenced to one year and 10 months jail
when he appeared in the district court.
the visuals to the student’s Instagram
accounts if he didn’t pay
him $2500.
When the money wasn’t paid,
Maharaj went through with
his threat and not only posted
them to the victim’s Instagram
accounts but also sent them to
his contacts.
Maharaj continued to torment
the student by enacting a plan to
have his father’s car towed and
scrapped for parts.
While the father was able to
recover his car before it was
scrapped, he had to spend more
than $3000 to have it repaired
and released to him.
Between November 2022 and
January 2023, while accessing
the student’s email account and
personal details, Maharaj obtained
an ANZ bank card in his
name and stole $1041 from him.
He also accessed the student’s
university login and requested
a new identification card, altering
the details online to display
Maharaj’s picture. However, the
card was delivered to the student’s
home address rather than
Maharaj’s.
Finally, in May 2023, Maharaj
and an associate produced fake
Fijian passports, typically with
their photos and the details of
people known to them. Other
passports were created using
made-up identities.
They then used the passports
to gain or attempt to gain
property or services such as
phones and a tenancy lease.
Maharaj used a family member’s
details to steal $2000 from
them and acquired a phone and
two sim cards, valued at $2198,
using the name of someone else
known to him. He also withdrew
$1500 from that person’s bank
account.
When police searched Maharaj’s
house, they found methamphetamine
pipes and a laptop
containing partially completed
fake passports.
At sentencing, his victims
sought reparation for the financial
costs they incurred, but
Maharaj was unable to pay them.
His lawyer Matt Smit acknowledged
his client’s offending was
prolonged but told the judge it
was “out of character” as Maharaj
had struggled with the loss of his
stepfather and turned to meth.
Judge Farish said blackmail
was one of the most “insidious
of our crimes”, acknowledging
the significant distress Maharaj’s
offending caused his victims.
“You nearly destroyed their
lives. These were people who had
done you no harm.”
She refused to give Maharaj
full credit for his guilty pleas,
stating it would be “just wrong”
as he initially denied the
offending and was on the run
for some time before police
caught him.
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