Powai cops hunt cyberstalker who blackmailed woman in Australia with fake Snapchat profile

MUMBAI: In a case of digital deception, the Powai police have registered an FIR against an unidentified cyberstalker who allegedly created a fake Snapchat account of a Powai woman to target her 23-year-old daughter studying in Australia

MUMBAI: In a case of digital deception, the Powai police have registered an FIR against an unidentified cyberstalker who allegedly created a fake Snapchat account of a Powai woman to target her 23-year-old daughter studying in Australia. Snapchat is a popular social media app that allows users to send photos and videos which disappear after viewing.

Powai cops hunt cyberstalker who blackmailed woman in Australia with fake Snapchat profile

According to the complaint, the stalker impersonated the victim’s mother by using her photos and family details to create a convincing fake profile on Snapchat. Believing it to be her mother’s account, the woman accepted a friend request in February this year.

But what seemed like a harmless connection soon spiralled into menace. On February 5, the account holder allegedly started blackmailing the woman with morphed obscene images and threatening to circulate them among her relatives. Terrified, the student realised she had fallen into a trap and informed her mother back home.

The mother then approached the Powai police, who registered a case under the Information Technology Act for sending offensive messages and criminal intimidation. The stalker remains unidentified.

Investigators suspect the accused may not be a stranger. “There is a possibility that the person is known to the girl. We have sought technical details from Snapchat to trace the accused,” said sub-inspector Sonam Deshmukh, who is handling the probe.