Fake matrimonial profile led to Hyderabad businesswoman kidnapping anchor

A businesswoman in Hyderabad was arrested for stalking and kidnapping a television anchor after an unknown person, impersonating him, allegedly duped her and disappeared with money, police said on Saturday. 

Bhogireddy Trisha, the Managing Director of five startup companies, kidnapped the television anchor Pranav Sistla after she was duped for Rs 40 lakh by an unknown individual who used Pranav’s photo in his profile on a matrimonial site.

The 31-year-old woman, who runs a digital marketing company, and five of her accomplices were arrested by the Telangana Police on February 22.

The investigation revealed intriguing details about the crime, as the woman, who, according to the police, was an “intimacy-seeking stalker”, even attached an AirTag to the anchor’s car to trace his movements.

HOW FAKE MATRIMONY PROFILE LED TO ANCHOR’S KIDNAP

The woman came into contact with an unknown person named Chaitanya Reddy through the Bharat Matrimony website two years ago. As the conversation progressed, they started chatting on WhatsApp and Instagram, and at one point, the man asked her for investment in his business, promising good returns.

According to the police, she allegedly paid Rs 40 lakh to the person via UPI, but after receiving the money, the woman said that the unknown person started avoiding her.

After realising that she was cheated, the woman contacted the phone number given on that profile, which turned out to be of Pranav. He informed her that some unknown person named Chaitanya Reddy used his photo and created fake accounts on Bharat Matrimony, and he even lodged a complaint with the cyber cell.

Panav then blocked her phone number. However, the woman, who “appeared to be an intimacy-seeking stalker” planned to kidnap Pranav to “sort out things”, police said.

She enlisted another person working in her office for the crime, offering him Rs 50,000. He installed an Apple AirTag on the victim’s car to stalk and monitor his movements. On February 11, a group organised by the businesswoman kidnapped the victim and took him to her office, where they assaulted him. Pranav, according to the police, requested the woman that he would respond to her calls and managed to escape.