​Hyderabad: Fraudster uses Telangana DGP photo on WhatsApp to ask senior cops for money, Amazon gift vouchers

Hyderabad cyber crime: The accused sent WhatsApp messages to senior police officials asking for money and Amazon gift vouchers using the WhatsApp DP of Telangana DGP M Mahendra Reddy.
Representative image

Representative image

Photo : iStock
Hyderabad: Telangana Police have taken a suo moto cognisance and booked a case against a fraudster for using the photograph of DGP on WhatsApp DP (Display Picture) seeking money from senior police officials.
The accused was sending WhatsApp messages in the name of DGP M Mahendra Reddy asking for money and Amazon gift coupons. Some police officers were surprised after receiving messages from an unknown number on WhatsApp with the profile picture of DGP Reddy.
A police official said that some police officers received messages asking for money from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh. Other policemen received links to Amazon gift vouchers asking them to make a purchase and send the details, according to a report in Times of India.
Some police officers verified the phone number and came to know that it was DGP's mobile number. Hyderabad cyber crime police was alerted and a case was filed under Section 66-C and 66-D of the Information Technology Act.
After a preliminary probe, police said the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the accused suggested that he or she was operating the number from abroad.
In a similar incident reported from Maharashtra capital Mumbai in November 2021, a businessman was cheated of Rs 1.5 lakh after he received a request for money from an unknown number with a display picture of his friend on WhatsApp. The businessman transferred the money without any question.
However, when the accused again asked the money, the businessman cross-checked with his friend whether he was in need of money but was shocked to know that he was cheated, according to a report in Free Press Journal.
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