28-year-old cyber offender arrested from Noida

The accused became an expert in phishing and was harassing multiple women through the same modus operandi. He is now earning around ₹18,000- ₹20,000 at the IT company, said police.

More than four years after a 28-year-old man hacked the social media accounts of two women, including a minor in Delhi, and blackmailed them, Delhi Police arrested him from Noida on Saturday. Police said the accused worked at IT companies, where he learnt about phishing, hacking and social media. In 2020, he was arrested in one of the cases but was given interim bail during which he fled and did not show up for further cases and proceedings.

Police said the accused worked at IT companies, where he learnt about phishing, hacking and social media.

The accused, Sumit Kumar, was held from a wine shop in Noida on Saturday and arrested in two cases. Police said they are verifying his involvement in other similar cases.

The first case against him was filed in 2020 after several women complained that they received messages from an unknown user who told them that their private photos had been leaked online. He then shared phishing links and obtained their social media credentials. Police said many women believed him and clicked on the links. The accused also impersonated them and extorted money from them and their known persons. Police said a case of extortion, sexual harassment and criminal intimidation was lodged at Malviya Nagar police station and Kumar was held. Police said he was released within a few months.

A senior police officer said, “However, he did not stop with his illegal activities. He usually targeted public profiles of women. However, in December 2020, he targeted a minor girl on Facebook. He analysed her account and decided to first hack her teacher’s account to talk to her. He hacked her tutor’s Facebook account and then messaged her. The girl reported that she received messages saying that her nude photographs were online and link was shared with her. The minor got scared and clicked on the link and gave her account details on the site. The accused managed to get access to her and then sent her manipulated/edited photos to scare her. He later coerced her to share her private photos by blackmailing and manipulating her. She was also extorted. An FIR was lodged under IT and POCSO Act as the child was violated digitally.”

Police said Kumar was again held from Delhi but he managed to secure interim bail again. However, he then fled and failed to appear before the court in the cases.

Aditya Gautam, DCP (Crime) said, “We were told in March last year that a POCSO and IT Act accused is on the run for years. He is a habitual cyber-offender and has been on the run since March 2021. He not only extorted women but also sexually harassed and exploited them”

Investigators said teams were first sent to Delhi and Bihar where the accused and his family stay but he could not be found. He was also not in touch with anyone.

A team under inspector Pankaj Malik found that the accused had left Bihar.

“Our teams were constantly looking for him but there was no clue. For months, we followed suspects and family members. We then found that he was in Noida and had even started a job. Our teams followed suspects to find Kumar in Noida. He was held on Saturday” said the DCP.

During interrogation, Kumar allegedly admitted to his crime and revealed that after securing bail in February 2021, he fled to Madhubani to evade police. He is working as a Housekeeping Supervisor in Noida (UP)

“He became an expert in phishing and was harassing multiple women through the same modus operandi. He is now earning around ₹18,000- ₹20,000 at the IT company. Previously, he worked at firms where he learned phishing and hacking techniques” said another officer