Surat - A recent wave of honeytrap incidents has led to two tragic suicides in the city. A 17-year-old student from Katargam took his own life after being blackmailed by a criminal gang, while a computer operator from Rander also succumbed to a similar fate.
The student from Katargam had jumped off a terrace 22 days ago, and now the Chowkbazar police have registered a case of abetment to suicide. The gang had extorted money from the teenager by threatening to make an obscene video of him go viral on social media. Rs 9,600 was transferred from the victim's PhonePe account, and the student received continuous calls from four different numbers.
The police have not been able to reach the suspects, whose phone numbers are traced to Bihar. They have sent the victim's mobile phone to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and plan to send a team to Bihar for further investigation. The victim's parents have also lodged a complaint, alleging that money was transferred from the student's PhonePe account to the mobile numbers from which the calls were received.
The 17-year-old victim, a 12th-grade commerce student, appeared to be under immense stress leading up to the tragic incident. He kept to himself and did not confide in his friends about the blackmail.
In a separate incident, a 26-year-old computer operator working for an
online shopping office took his own life on October 31, 2022, after being blackmailed with an obscene video. The young man, originally from Olpad and living on Ugat-Bhensan Road, was found to have had explicit conversations with a woman on social media, which were discovered by his family after his death.
The woman had made an explicit video of the computer operator and threatened to send it to his friends and family on social media, extorting money from him in the process. Despite the victim's desperate plea to delete the video and even threatening suicide during a video call, the woman continued to demand more money.
Out of fear of societal defamation, the young man sent a total of Rs 20,000 to the woman on the night of October 31, including Rs 5,000 through Paytm at 2:18 pm, Rs 5,000 at 2:26 pm, and Rs 10,000 at 2:29 pm. However, the woman demanded an additional Rs 5,000 to delete the video, which the victim could not provide. The relentless demands and mental harassment eventually led to the young man taking his own life.
As the authorities continue to investigate these tragic incidents, the Surat community is left grappling with the devastating consequences of honeytrap schemes. Police are urging individuals to be cautious when engaging in online conversations and to report any suspicious activity or threats immediately.
