Bareilly (UP), Sep 20 (PTI) Police on Friday said they have arrested two men for allegedly blackmailing women and girls after befriending them on social media using accounts made on forged identities.
The two youths would allegedly get them into compromising situations and issue threats that they would make their texts and videos public if they did not comply with their demands, Bareilly Police said.
Residents of Chowki Karmachari Nagar brought the accused to the police station on Thursday evening when they saw them with two girls who looked distressed.
The two accused told the locals that their names were Rahul and Satish, they said.
In a statement, police said, "Due to the suspicious circumstances, the residents brought the boys to the police station for questioning. During the interrogation, one of the suspects revealed that his true name is Noshad."
A search revealed five fake Aadhaar cards with different names and photos, and a mobile phone. The phone contained multiple Instagram accounts under false identities, which Noshad used to engage in "inappropriate chats and video calls" with women and record explicit content, police said.
"The second suspect, Aman, was found with three fake Aadhaar cards and a mobile phone containing nude videos and inappropriate chats," the police statement said.
Investigation revealed that the duo created fake identities and pretend to be trustworthy individuals to ensnare women. The accused used Hindu names to entrap Hindu girls and Muslim names for Muslim girls, police said.
"They exploited social media platforms to lure unsuspecting women into compromising situations, threatening to release recorded content if the victims did not comply with their demands," the statement said.
An FIR has been registered, both the accused -- Noshad (23) and Aman (23) -- have been booked for identity fraud as well as blackmail, and sent to jail by a local court, according to police.