Teen honey-trapped through fake social media profile

An illiterate man, who could not read or write, honey-trapped a 17-year-old boy through social media after creating a woman’s fake profile. The man chatted with him for days using Google Translate app and ultimately kidnapped him with the help of two of his accomplices.

The sensational crime, reported from south Delhi’s Mehrauli area, was done with the sole motive of paying off the remaining amount for a new Scooty.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Achin Garg said they received a PCR call on March 12 regarding kidnapping for ransom after which the police rushed to the reported location, near Saket metro station, to assess the situation.

“The caller, a 29-year-old resident of Sangam Vihar, Delhi, stated that around 1 pm, his 17-year-old cousin had gone to Saket metro station with a friend to meet an acquaintance he had contacted through Instagram,” the Additional DCP said.

While they were waiting, three unidentified individuals forcibly took him on a Scooty, and shortly after, a ransom demand of Rs 50,000 was made via a WhatsApp call.

The police, based on the complaint, immediately registered an FIR under relevant sections of the BNS and formed a team to crack the case at the earliest.

During investigation, the cops collected CCTV footage from near Saket metro station and analysed it meticulously for hours. The Instagram ID from which the victim received the friend request was also scrutinised.

“The ransom payment was being demanded through a scanner sent via WhatsApp, which was found to be linked to a bank account in Andhra Pradesh. The teams constantly followed up to extract crucial banking information. The last known mobile location of the victim was traced to Sangam Vihar, leading to extensive field inquiries and intelligence gathering in the area,” the officer said.

With the help of technical surveillance, the location of the accused person was zeroed down upon in Sangam Vihar area. After a high-speed chase, the suspects were cornered near Karni Singh Shooting Range, Tughlaqabad, and the victim boy was safely rescued. The three accused were also apprehended.

Upon interrogation, one of the accused disclosed that he had purchased a new Scooty by making a down payment of Rs 18,000 but to make the remaining payment, he decided to kidnap someone and extort money.

For this, the accused created the fake ID of a woman on Instagram, sent a friend request to the victim, and ultimately honey-trapped him.

Interestingly, the accused does not know how to read or write. He used the Google Translate app to listen and type during the chats with the victim, reflecting the use of technology in commission of crime. On the day of the incident, he called the victim and made a ransom call to his parents from the victim’s phone.