Beware! Man poses as woman online, pockets Rs 25 lakh in ‘sextortion’ scam

Hyderabad: A 23-year-old man, who posed as a woman on social media and allegedly extorted Rs 25 lakh from victims through honey traps, was arrested by the Saidabad police on Monday. The accused targeted doctors, businessmen, lecturers, private employees, delivery boys and gig workers, and allegedly spent the extorted money on a lavish lifestyle.

The arrested accused was identified as Kondabhattula Pavan Kumar, 23, who had completed a diploma at the Central Institute of Tool Design (CITD), Balanagar. He also allegedly deceived his parents by claiming that he was pursuing BTech at a corporate college in the city while engaging in the offences.

According to Saidabad police, Pavan created fake Facebook and Instagram accounts using women’s identities. He sent friend and follow requests to potential victims, chatted with them while posing as a woman and gradually engaged them in sexual conversations. He then sent them nude photographs and persuaded them to share their own, which he stored for blackmail.

Using multiple SIM cards to operate his social media accounts, the accused would subsequently introduce himself as the woman’s brother. He contacted victims through phone calls, WhatsApp and social media, and met some of them in person. He allegedly threatened to circulate their photographs and videos, expose them to his supposed sister and file police complaints against them unless they paid him money.

Police said the accused mostly used photographs of a woman from Kolkata, operating under the name “Chandana”. They attempted to contact the woman and alerted her through her workplace and the local police in Kolkata.

A diploma classmate of the accused was also trapped in the same manner, and Pavan allegedly extorted Rs 4 lakh from him. He also cheated a software employee of around Rs 7 lakh by promising returns on an investment.

While working at Digi Loans – Star Powerz Digital Technologies Pvt Ltd in Basheerbagh, the accused allegedly took a salary advance of Rs 16,000 and left without informing the company, police said.

During the investigation, police found details of several fake Instagram accounts allegedly used by the accused, including Priyanka 11243, Aamer 531, K Chandanasri, K_Chandana_sri_21, Chandana_Princes_2021, Chandana_sri_445, chinnu223558, deekshitha_princes_2021, moon_baby_5973, Kanna_ya1024, Misalgunjan, Kondabathula_Pavan_2324 and Kondabathulasadanandam.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mouli Mareedu

Mouli Mareedu