Youth held for trapping nearly 1,000 people with fake girl accounts

Cyberabad Police arrested a 23-year-old who allegedly ran 27 fake social media profiles using women's photos and extorted about Rs 26 lakh from nearly a thousand victims.

Cyberabad Police have arrested a 23-year-old man accused of running 27 fake social media profiles with photographs of women and cheating nearly a thousand people of about Rs 26 lakh. The accused allegedly befriended targets posing as a girl, collected their private photographs, and then extorted money by posing as the girl's sister.

Police said the victims spanned several states and included 14 police personnel, doctors, engineers and gig workers. The accused operated multiple phones and bank accounts, cycling through profiles to keep the scheme running for months.

Officials have urged citizens never to share private photos or personal details with strangers online and to report suspicious profiles on the national cybercrime helpline 1930. The accused has been remanded as investigators trace the money trail and identify more victims.