The Digital Shadow: Unmasking the Crypto Entrepreneur Behind a Global Hub for Non-Consensual Imagery

This investigation is a joint collaboration between Bellingcat and the New Zealand news outlet The Press. Content warning: This article contains discussions of non-consensual sexually explicit content and child sexual abuse material.

For years, a sprawling online forum known as "LeakedBB" operated in the dark corners of the internet, serving as a high-traffic marketplace for non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). While the site claimed to be a mere repository for "leaked" content, its infrastructure facilitated a global economy of exploitation, where the privacy and dignity of hundreds of thousands of women were traded for cryptocurrency.

A multi-month investigation by Bellingcat and The Press has now identified the individual appearing to be the architect behind this digital enterprise: Jitendra Maharaj, a Christchurch-based former pilot and co-founder of a cryptocurrency startup that once positioned itself as the "Stripe of crypto payments."

The Anatomy of an Exploitative Forum

LeakedBB was not a fringe site; it was a behemoth. Established in 2019, the forum ballooned to include over 2.2 million registered users and more than 2.6 million posts by mid-2026. At its peak, the platform saw an estimated two million visits per month. While it initially hosted a variety of pirated digital goods, it quickly pivoted to a model centered almost exclusively on pornographic content that was, by its own admission, non-consensual, hacked, or stolen from private cloud accounts.

The forum’s business model was as predatory as the content it hosted. Users were incentivized to upload NCII, often accompanied by the victims’ real names, social media handles, and locations. The site utilized a tiered membership system, with access to "leaked" content costing up to US$99.99. Crucially, the forum rewarded top contributors with cryptocurrency, turning the violation of privacy into a gamified, profitable enterprise.

The real-world consequences were devastating. Victims—many of whom were not professional adult entertainers—found their lives upended. Personal information posted alongside intimate photos led to harassment, professional termination, and in some cases, terrifying offline stalking.

A Trail of Digital Breadcrumbs

The connection between LeakedBB and Jitendra Maharaj was not immediately apparent, but digital forensic analysis revealed a web of technical links. The site’s administrator, operating under the pseudonym "Lucifer NightStar," held the "User ID 1"—the primary account with super-administrator privileges.

The breakthrough came when a screenshot posted by the administrator to assist users with payment issues revealed a company name: "Logica LTD." New Zealand corporate records confirm that Logica Limited was registered by Maharaj in February 2021, with him serving as the sole director.

Further investigation into the site’s Domain Name System (DNS) records linked LeakedBB to a suite of domains registered to Maharaj, including mybbplugins.com. This domain, which Maharaj publicly owned from 2011 to 2019, served as an infrastructure hub for the forum. Historical archives show that Maharaj—using the username "Jitendra M."—was an active participant in early MyBB community forums, where he openly inquired about setting up adult content sites and methods for laundering or processing anonymous payments for such services as early as 2008.

Chronology of Discovery and Denials

The investigation moved into the public sphere in early June 2026, when The Press and Bellingcat presented their findings to Maharaj.

• June 4, 2026: The Press sends a detailed inquiry to Maharaj regarding his links to LeakedBB.
• June 6, 2026: LeakedBB suddenly goes offline, remaining inaccessible to this day.
• June 23, 2026: A lawyer representing Maharaj requests an extension, citing a family funeral in Fiji.
• June 25, 2026: In a doorstep interview at his home in Christchurch, Maharaj denies knowledge of who operated LeakedBB, despite his clear historical ties to the infrastructure. He characterizes the evidence as a "targeted attack" and "manufactured."

Throughout the investigative process, Maharaj consistently declined to comment on the record regarding specific evidence, referring all questions to his legal team, which ultimately failed to provide a substantive rebuttal before the publication deadline.

The Financial Engine of Exploitation

The forum’s ability to bypass mainstream payment scrutiny was key to its longevity. LeakedBB utilized a "digital avatar" store hosted on the logica.nz domain. Users would purchase these worthless digital assets to pay for their forum memberships, effectively masking the true nature of their transactions from payment processors.

This structure was designed to obfuscate the flow of funds and shield the site from the terms of service of major financial entities. When confronted with evidence that LeakedBB violated their policies, payment gateway NOWPayments acted swiftly, blacklisting the platform on June 4, 2026—the same day the media inquiries were received.

Legal Limitations and the "Take it Down" Struggle

The legal landscape surrounding NCII remains fragmented and notoriously difficult to enforce across borders. In the United States, the "Take it Down Act" mandates the removal of non-consensual intimate imagery, yet LeakedBB’s own "DMCA takedown" process appeared specifically designed to deter victims from filing reports. By demanding excessive personal information and refusing to accept requests from common email providers, the site created a chilling effect, effectively silencing those seeking to protect their own images.

In New Zealand, the Harmful Digital Communications Act provides a framework for addressing such abuse, with potential penalties of up to two years in prison or significant fines. However, Sean Lyons, Chief Online Safety Officer at Netsafe, notes that the effectiveness of such laws relies heavily on the cooperation of platforms. When a site is designed to be malicious and anonymous, legal orders are often ignored.

The Human Cost: A Call for Accountability

The victims of LeakedBB remain the primary casualties of this digital abuse. Legal experts like Allison Mahoney and Reba Rocket, who specialize in assisting survivors of image-based abuse, emphasize that the psychological and social toll is immense. "The anonymity that people have hiding behind screens really contributes to this and emboldens people to act in ways that are very abusive," Mahoney explained.

The removal of the site is a victory for the victims, but it is not a solution to the broader, systemic issue. As technology advances, the ease with which private, intimate moments can be weaponized against women is increasing.

The case of Jitendra Maharaj highlights the necessity of holding individual facilitators accountable. When the individuals behind the screens are brought into the light, the perceived shield of anonymity is stripped away. For survivors, this process—while difficult—is often the only path toward reclaiming their digital autonomy.

As of this publication, LeakedBB remains offline. While the site’s infrastructure has been dismantled, the digital trail serves as a stark reminder of how easily the intersection of cryptocurrency and lack of ethical oversight can be exploited to facilitate global, systematic abuse. The investigation concludes that the persistence of such platforms is not merely a technical failure of the internet, but a failure of individual accountability that requires rigorous, ongoing scrutiny.

If you are a victim or know anyone who is affected by image-based abuse, resources and support are available through StopNCII.org.