Pune: College student's online shopping experience turns into cyber harassment and stalking

A young female student from Pune made a regrettable mistake of attempting to purchase a second-hand phone from an individual who posted on Instagram. Unfortunately, this person proceeded to subject her to sexual harassment, cyberstalking, and threats to share a compromising video. Additionally, they reportedly refused to return the money she had paid for the phone.

A young woman studying design technology at a Pune college lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at a police station under the jurisdiction of Pune city on Wednesday evening. According to reports, in the first week of March, she came across an Instagram post advertising a pre-owned phone from a high-end brand. She then proceeded to contact the account mentioned in the post's information.

The student contacted an individual who shared two Unified Payments Interface (UPI) addresses and instructed her to transfer Rs 15,000 to them in order to purchase the phone. However, even after several days had passed, the complainant had still not received the phone. This led to an argument between her and the accused.

According to the police, the accused reportedly gained access to the victim's Snapchat account and proceeded to threaten her by sharing her personal videos. Additionally, he allegedly sent her pornographic material. The police have initiated an investigation to apprehend the cybercriminal.