15-yr-old MP boy apprehended for using banned app, blackmailing people

The Class 10 student allegedly created at least 14 WhatsApp accounts with mobile numbers of USA by using a banned Chinese app. He also diverted funds from different accounts and converted it to cryptocurrency through the dark web, said Birendra Kumar Singh, superintendent of police, Singrauli

Published on: Jul 19, 2021, 18:25:27 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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A 15-year-old boy was apprehended on Monday for blackmailing people by making obscene video calls through WhatsApp in Singruali district of Madhya Pradesh, said police.

The Class 10 student allegedly created at least 14 WhatsApp accounts with American mobile numbers by using a banned Chinese app. He also diverted funds from different accounts and converted it to cryptocurrency through the dark web, said Birendra Kumar Singh, superintendent of police, Singrauli.

“A 21-year-old man filed a complaint at Morwa police station that he was being threatened after he received a WhatsApp call. He also said that his gmail ID was hacked.”

“Investigation led the cyber police to the 15-year-old boy. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime and said he downloaded banned Chinese application ‘Text Now’ by changing his location to UAE. He later created 14 WhatsApp accounts with an American mobile number. He made video calls using these numbers wherein he showed porn videos and took screenshots of the victim,” said the SP.

He used the screenshots to blackmail people, and had managed to ensnare six people like this. Police were investigating if the boy acted alone or if he was a part of a bigger group.

The boy’s father works in a reputed company in Singruali. The boy was not very good in academics but was focused on technology. He learnt hacking on YouTube and also joined classes of ethical hacking, as the boy’s father told police.

Recently , cases of blackmailing through WhatsApp video calls have increased in the state. Cyber cell police also released an order for the district police to create awareness among people about such cyber fraud.

“Fraudsters are using this modus operandi as people are afraid of being defamed but we have assured that the complainants’ identities won’t be revealed. That’s why more people are coming forward now,” said Yogesh Chaudhary, additional director general of police, Cyber cell.

The boy has been booked under section 388 (extortion) of IPC and IT Act.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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