Bengaluru: Facebook friend dupes woman of Rs 8.6 lakh; threatens to leak personal videos

Bengaluru: A 32-year-old woman has accused a Facebook acquaintance of cheating her of Rs 8.62 lakh, besides threatening, intimidating, and assaulting her when she demanded repayment.

In her FIR, Sridevi G, a resident of Banashankari, said she befriended the suspect, Swaroop Gowda, in 2022. He initially sought Rs 4.4 lakh in instalments through PhonePe, citing a pending court case.

She alleged that Swaroop later demanded more money, threatening to share her private videos with her husband. Out of fear, she pawned her jewellery and gave him another Rs 4.2 lakh.

Recently, near the Sunkadakatte bus stop, Swaroop allegedly assaulted her, kicking and dragging her while hurling abuses. His associate, Giri, later confronted her in Basaveshwaranagar, warning her not to pursue the case and threatening to upload the videos online.

The Kamakshipalya police have registered a case against Swaroop and Giri under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for cheating, extortion, assault and criminal intimidation. The police said further investigations are under way to trace the suspects.