Gurgaon: Fake Snapchat account set up in teenager’s name, FIR filed
The girl’s father, a corporate honcho, approached Sandeep Khirwar, Gurgaon commissioner of police, and lodged a formal complaint on January 17
A 15-year-old student of a leading Delhi school was shocked when her friends informed her about getting invites from a Snapchat account in her name with obscene pictures and vulgar messages.
The friends sent her screenshots of the account since she could not access the account on her own due to privacy policies of Snapchat, an image messaging and multimedia mobile application. A resident of Gurgaon, the girl approached her parents and informed them about the incident.
The girl’s father, a corporate honcho, approached Sandeep Khirwar, Gurgaon commissioner of police, and lodged a formal complaint on January 17. The matter was referred to the Cyber Crime Cell of the police who probed the matter and, on finding it true, forwarded it for filing of an FIR.
An FIR under relevant sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act was filed at the DLF Phase-2 police station on Sunday. The Cyber Crime Cell has sought details of the IP address from which the fake account was created or operated.
“The said messages made a reference to people known to her and, hence, seemed genuine, which encouraged people to view the same. The messages had sexually explicit content in words and photos,” mentioned the complaint submitted to the police by the father.
She requested the account handler to stop but more messages followed. She then requested her friends to block the fake account.
“It is our suspicion that it may be a known person and since we are working parents, the child is often alone at home and she travels to her school in Delhi. It is not possible for us to follow her everywhere. Hence, we are extremely fearful for her safety,” the father in his complaint said.
“It is good that she reported the matter to us instead of feeling ashamed. It is a tender age and such incidents have deep impact on kids. We suspect some children from her school is behind the act,” the father told HT.
He said he was not sure whether the account was blocked as it was not possible to view it without getting invited.
Inspector Sudeep Kumar, SHO DLF Phase-2 police station, said the FIR was filed after receiving a report from the cyber crime cell. He said action will be taken against the culprit as soon as the cell is able to track him/her.