MP: 15-year-old 'hacker' uses banned app to make WhatsApp accounts, blackmails people after showing them porn

Bhopal: A 15-year-old boy allegedly used a banned Chinese app and WhatsApp to blackmail several people. The boy, who is a resident of the Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, allegedly blackmailed people by making obscene calls to them and taking screenshots.

The Class 10 student used the banned Chinese app 'Text Now' and created around 14 WhatsApp accounts. He allegedly diverted funds from different accounts and converted them to crypto currency through the dark web. 

Complainant was threatened through WhatsApp calls.

Birendra Kumar Singh, superintendent of police, Singrauli, said that they learned about the case when a 21-year-old man approached them.  The 21-year-old told the cops that he was being threatened on WhatsApp calls. The man further claimed that his Gmail ID had been hacked. 

The police tracked the accused after receiving the complaint and interrogated him. The teenager told the cops had downloaded Text Now after changing his location to UAE and had created 14 WhatsApp accounts with an American mobile number, Hindustan Times reported. The teenager made video calls through these accounts and showed porn videos to his targets. The accused then took screenshots of the calls and used them to blackmail the victims.

Reportedly, the teenager's father works at a reputed company in Singruali. The teen learned hacking on YouTube and also joined ethical hacking classes. He was booked under 388 (extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and IT Act. Yogesh Chaudhary, additional director general of police, Cyber cell said, "Fraudsters are using this modus operandi as people are afraid of being defamed but we have assured that the complainants' identities won't be revealed. That's why more people are coming forward now. "