Washington: An Indian-origin man in the United States has been arrested for cyberstalking a woman, whom he harassed using several social media accounts and emails and solicited others to rape, murder and decapitate her in exchange for Bitcoin.

According to United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K Hur, Desmond Babloo Singh, 19, of New York has been indicted on federal charges of cyberstalking, causing intentional damage to a protected computer, aggravated identity theft, e-mailing a hoax bomb threat, and murder for hire.

The affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint said that in February 2020, the man sent the victim an Instagram story in which he professed his love for her.

A former classmate of Desmond Singh’s older sister, the woman rejected his romantic advances and told him that she was not interested in a relationship with him. The woman, who resides in Maryland, asked Desmond Singh to not contact her any further.

The affidavit stated that from approximately April to November 2020, Desmond Singh allegedly used more than 100 different social media, electronic communication, and phone accounts to send the woman harassing and unsolicited messages.

The messages included express and implied threats of death and bodily injury, sexualised violence, and racial slurs.