Hyderabad: A 19-year-old man has been arrested by Hyderabad cybercrime police on Wednesday, June 4, for allegedly impersonating top government officials online and defrauding people by soliciting money.

The accused has been identified as Arbaj Khan from Alwar, Rajasthan. He allegedly created multiple fake Facebook and WhatsApp profiles using photographs of senior IAS, IPS, and CRPF officers.

According to police, the accused accessed and used publicly available images of officials to create convincing fake accounts. He would then contact their acquaintances and followers, pretending to be the officers in urgent need of funds. Several individuals were tricked into transferring money under the impression that they were helping senior government personnel.

The Hyderabad cybercrime wing traced the fraud to the accused’s location in Alwar and apprehended him.

A case has been registered, and further investigation is ongoing.