Brothers arrested in Tamil Nadu for extorting money from women using fake accounts of actors

The Kancheepuram police said the accused befriended women on social media by creating fake profiles of young TV personalities. Once they received the women’s photos, they morphed it and threatened to leak the images online.

The police noted that the person then demanded money from the woman and after she refused, he threatened to leak screenshots of their conversation and other morphed pictures of her online. (File)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Kancheepuram police in Tamil Nadu arrested two men Saturday for allegedly demanding money from women whom they befriended on social media by creating fake accounts in the name of actors.

According to the police, they received a complaint from a woman in October stating that she received a friend request from a profile on Facebook which had the picture of a famous upcoming Tamil actor. Believing that it was indeed the actor, the woman accepted the request and began chatting with him.

Also Read | NIA records statement of kin of Coimbatore car explosion accused

In the following days, the woman shared her mobile number and sent her pictures and videos on WhatsApp to the person on the other end. The police noted that the person then demanded money from the woman and after she refused, he threatened to leak screenshots of their conversation and other morphed pictures of her online.

The woman initially sent Rs 2 lakh through Google Pay, but after the person demanded more money, she registered a complaint online. The district police formed a special team to probe into the woman’s complaint. After a few months of investigation, the team tracked down the accused – identified as S Alahudeen, 27, and his brother S Vaheed, 26, residents of BP Agraharam, Erode – on Saturday.

The police said the accused befriended married women and college students through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram by creating fake profiles of young actors/TV personalities. Once they received the women’s photos and videos, the accused would morph the images and threaten to leak them online if they did not transfer money.

Noting rising instances of similar crimes, the police requested women not to accept friend requests from strangers or share their personal information with unknown people online.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
extortion case