A casual conversation on Snapchat turned into a nightmare for a woman in Hyderabad, who ended up losing Rs. 48.38 lakh and spiraling into depression. The Cybercrime unit of Hyderabad police arrested three individuals in connection with the extortion scam.
The arrested individuals are Aman Joshi, a resident of Ramkoti, Prashanth Biradar, from Shahinyathgunj, and Rohit Sharma from Panduranga Nagar. According to police, the woman initially came into contact with Aman Joshi through Snapchat. They began having frequent conversations over time. During one such interaction, Aman requested Rs. 15,000, which the woman transferred.
Realizing that the woman was affluent, Aman conspired with his associates, Prashanth and Rohit, to extort a larger sum from her. Rohit posed as a police official and contacted the woman, threatening her with arrest for her alleged involvement with Aman, claiming he was arrested for gold smuggling. The scammers continued to manipulate her, falsely accusing her of being complicit in Aman’s criminal activities.
In a series of extortion tactics, gold and cash, valued at Rs. 48.38 lakh, were taken from the woman under various pretexts. DCP Cybercrimes Dara Kavitha confirmed that the trio used threats and deceit to exploit the woman’s fear, ultimately leading her into depression.
The police have arrested all three suspects, and the investigation is ongoing. This case highlights the dangers of online interactions and the increasing role of cybercrime in exploiting vulnerable individuals.
