Hyderabad: Charminar Zone Police arrested a man accused of using fake social media profiles to trap people and blackmail them with intimate images. Police said the accused allegedly caused financial losses of Rs. 25.16 lakh to multiple victims.
Charminar Zone DCP Kiran Prabhakar Khare disclosed the case details to the media on Monday. The accused, Kondabathula Pawan Kumar, hails from Bhadradri Kothagudem and currently lives in Balajinagar, Kukatpally.
According to the police, Pawan Kumar created fake Facebook and Instagram accounts using photographs of young women. He sent friend and follow requests to people, chatted with them while posing as a woman, and gradually steered conversations towards sexual topics.
Police said he persuaded some victims to share intimate photographs and videos. He allegedly saved the material on his phone and other social media accounts before using it to threaten and blackmail them.
Investigators said the accused later contacted victims by phone, WhatsApp and social media, sometimes presenting himself as the woman’s brother. He allegedly threatened to expose their intimate images or initiate complaints unless they paid him money.
The investigation also revealed that a police officer had fallen into the alleged trap. According to the DCP, the accused used the same impersonation method to contact the officer and subsequently demanded money through threats.
Hyderabad honey trap case reveals thousands of chats
Police said the accused had communicated with more than 1,000 people through online chats. Investigators found that he had sent intimate photographs and videos to 82 people and operated 13 fake Instagram accounts and 14 fake Facebook accounts.
According to the DCP, the accused primarily used photographs of a woman named Chandana from Kolkata for his fake profiles. Police said the woman was alerted about the misuse of her photographs.
The victims reportedly included doctors, businesspeople, lecturers, private-sector employees, delivery workers and gig workers. Police also identified victims from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Punjab, alongside nine people from Dubai, Turkey, Pakistan and Canada.
During the investigation, officers seized three mobile phones, three SIM cards, a laptop and a pen drive from the accused. Police also found thousands of WhatsApp chats and records indicating hundreds of potential victims.
The case came to light after the accused allegedly approached a police officer during the blackmail attempt. Saidabad police subsequently used technical evidence to identify and arrest him.
Charminar Zone Additional DCP Majeed and Saidabad Division ACP Somavenkat Reddy, along with other officials, participated in the media briefing. Police said their investigation uncovered multiple alleged offences involving impersonation, threats and financial extortion.