Saidabad police in Hyderabad have arrested a 23-year-old man for allegedly running an online extortion and honey trap scheme. Kondabhatthula Pavan Kumar, a resident of Kukatpally, was taken into custody by the Charminar Zone police.
Kumar created fake social media profiles, posing as a woman to establish online relationships with individuals. He then encouraged victims to share intimate photographs and videos with him.
Investigators stated that these private images and videos were stored on his mobile phones and social media accounts. Following this, Kumar would introduce himself as the woman's brother and threaten to circulate the material or file a complaint, demanding money from the victims.
Charminar Zone DCP Khare Kiran Prabhakar confirmed that the accused utilized fake social media profiles to obtain private content and blackmail victims. Police have identified 82 individuals who shared intimate photographs or videos.
The victims include doctors, businessmen, lecturers, private-sector employees, delivery personnel, and gig workers. Investigations also revealed 24 victims from other states and nine from overseas locations.
Police reported that one of Kumar's diploma course friends was extorted for Rs 4 lakh. Authorities suspect that approximately Rs 18 lakh was collected through these blackmail activities.