Bengaluru
The CEN Crime Station of Bengaluru North Division has successfully apprehended the accused, identified as Hari alias Narhari (27) from Bommanahalli, who was engaged in sexual fraud through WhatsApp, posing as a young woman. The arrest was made, and the mobile phone used for the fraudulent activities has been seized. Hari, who worked at a lodge in Bommanahalli, exploited his position to obtain the phone numbers of customers staying at the lodge. Subsequently, he would send deceptive messages to these customers, pretending to be a young woman, and ensnare them in romantic relationships. Taking advantage of the customers’ belief that they were corresponding with a genuine person, some shared private photos on WhatsApp. Exploiting this vulnerability, Hari, changing his identity, would then blackmail the victims using the shared photos and demand money. The threat involved posting the personal photos on social media if the victims refused to comply. Several individuals fell victim to this scheme, leading to reluctance in reporting the crimes to the Anji police station. One of the victims, Anita, who had stayed at the lodge, received immoral relationship messages from the accused for a month. The accused subsequently threatened to make these messages viral. Over the course of a month, Anita paid a total of Rs 1.10 lakh in phased online payments to the fraudster. When the accused demanded more money, Anita decided to report the incident, leading to the arrest by the North Division CEN Crime Station. The arrest is a significant step in curbing cybercrimes and sexual fraud, emphasizing the importance of vigilance and reporting such incidents to law enforcement agencies.
