Kanpur: A woman was allegedly blackmailed, cheated of Rs 15 lakh, and pushed into prostitution by her close friend.The accused, along with her boyfriend, extorted money from the woman for three years by using four different Instagram IDs to threaten and intimidate her.The woman filed an online FIR a few days ago, after which the investigation was assigned to Kalyanpur police. According to the registered FIR, she received messages on her Instagram ID from fake IDs since 2023. The messages contained her private photos and threats to make them viral. Police said the woman initially ignored the threats, but the accused later revealed some of her private matters, which frightened her. There was suspicion that cyber criminals hacked her mobile to obtain private information. Initially, fearing defamation, the victim was asked for Rs 100, Rs 200, and Rs 300, which she transferred to different bank accounts, police said. The accused later increased the amount, and the woman continued paying. She then sold her mother’s and household jewellery to pay the money, the police said. When the money ran out, the victim was sent to different hotels and forced into prostitution, the police said. After receiving the complaint, the officers assigned the investigation to Kalyanpur police station along with the cybercrime branch. Police and the cybercrime branch traced the accused through Instagram IDs, bank accounts, and IP addresses.DCP (West) SM Qasim Abidi said the accused was arrested and sent to jail. “Her Kanpur-resident boyfriend was searched, and police suspected several people were involved with him. Other accomplices were also searched.” TNN
