COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore district cybercrime police have arrested a 31-year-old hacker for allegedly defrauding a lecturer of Rs 12 lakh under the pretext of removing her morphed photograph from a loan app. The accused, identified as S Aravind (31) of Krishnapuram near Udumalpet in Tiruppur district, holds a diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE).
According to the police, the 33-year-old victim, a lecturer at a private college in Coimbatore, had taken out a loan of Rs 30,000 through a loan app in 2023. However, she was later harassed with demands for exorbitant interest payments. When she refused, she was threatened with the release of her morphed photographs online.
During a cybersecurity program at her college, the victim met Aravind and shared her predicament. Aravind assured her of assistance but exploited the situation, collecting Rs 12 lakh from her between October 2023 and December 2024. He also used her personal information to blackmail her.
Based on her complaint, the cybercrime police registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 66D of the IT Act, and Aravind was arrested recently.
In another case, a 75-year-old man from Karamadai lost Rs 10.60 lakh on January 7 to scammers posing as CBI officers. The bank account involved has since been frozen.