Hyderabad: The Saidabad Police arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly honey-trapping people by posing as a woman and extorting money, threatening to circulate their private photographs and videos.
Kondabhattula Pavan Kumar, a resident of Kukatpally, created fake Facebook and Instagram profiles and used photographs of a woman from Kolkata under the name Chandana. Police said they have alerted her through her workplace and the local police.
Police said he sent friend and follow requests to unsuspecting people, initiated conversations and gradually lured them into sexual chats, exchanged nude photographs and persuaded them to share their own.
After collecting the photographs and videos, Pavan introduced himself to the victims as the woman’s brother and threatened to expose them or have his “sister” file a complaint against them. He used the material to blackmail the victims and extort money.
Pavan operated 13 fake Instagram accounts and 14 Facebook accounts. More than 1,000 people chatted with the profiles, and 82 victims shared nude photographs and videos.
Over time, he extorted nearly Rs 38.08 lakh, police said. The victims included doctors, businessmen, lecturers, private employees, delivery personnel and gig workers from other states and abroad.
The case came to light after one of his friends was trapped and forced to pay Rs 4 lakh.
He stored the material on multiple mobile phones and social media accounts. Police seized three mobile phones, an HP laptop and a 16-GB pen drive.
He had also cheated a software employee of about Rs 7 lakh on the false promise of investment returns.
The accused was booked in Crime No. 358/2026 of Saidabad police station under Sections 308(7) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66C, 66D, 66E and 67A of the Information Technology Act.
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Source: The Siasat Daily
