Hyd: Cyber fraudster arrested for honey-trap extortion of senior citizen
Hyderabad, Oct 5 (TNT): Hyderabad police have arrested a 26-year-old man from Palakollu in Andhra Pradesh for allegedly cheating and extorting Rs 38 lakh from a 70-year-old retired employee by using a fake Facebook profile and threatening him with criminal cases, police said on Monday.
According to police, the victim lodged a complaint on June 17, 2025, stating that he received a Facebook friend request from an account created in a woman’s name.
After accepting the request, he started chatting with the woman, who allegedly sought money from him on the pretext of household needs.
Later, another man allegedly contacted the victim, claiming to be a relative of the woman. The woman subsequently engaged the victim in intimate chats and the accused allegedly blackmailed him by threatening to implicate him in a sexual abuse case.
The accused allegedly extorted approximately Rs 38 lakh from the victim by threatening him with criminal cases and impersonating police officials.
Police seized two mobile phones from the accused. A case was registered under Sections 66C and 66D of the IT Act and Sections 308(2), 318(4) and 319(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to the police, fraudsters create fake social media profiles in the names of young women, send friend requests to elderly men and gain their confidence through affectionate conversations.
They later seek money on various pretexts before using intimate chats to blackmail victims.
Police warned senior citizens against accepting friend requests from unknown persons or engaging in personal or intimate conversations with unidentified social media accounts.
They advised people not to transfer money to unknown persons and cautioned that police officials would never demand money over phone to settle a criminal case.
The police also advised families to educate elderly members about such cyber frauds and encouraged victims to report incidents without hesitation.
Victims of cyber fraud can immediately dial 1930 or report the incident through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
TNT TS
