Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

‘Con couple’ arrested

HYDERABAD: If you are keen on making friends online, think twice. A professor of Punjabi University, Gurupreet Singh, not only lost his Rs. 2 lakh worth laptop but had to face embarrassing moments for believing an online friend.

The Mahankali police on Tuesday arrested 42-year-old Sohail of Old Malakpet and his wife, Laxmi, 25, who allegedly took away his laptop after luring him to the city in the name of friendship. The stolen laptop was recovered from the couple.

According to Sub-Inspector S. Rajasekhar Reddy, the professor happened to chat with Sohail while browsing adultfriendfinder.com. few weeks ago. Since then, Sohail used to regularly send emails to the professor giving mobile phone numbers of his wife and himself claiming that they were socialites.

Recently, he sent an email to the professor stating that he was leaving for America soon and the latter can ‘meet’ him and his wife at Hyderabad to have ‘some good time’, the SI narrated. Mr. Singh arrived on June 6 and checked into Karan Hotel at Secunderabad.

The same evening, the couple along with their five-year-old son met him at the hotel. “After introducing his wife, Sohail took out the professor for a walk. After walking some distance, he suddenly disappeared,” the SI explained. By the time the confused professor returned to his hotel room, Laxmi allegedly collected the laptop and left the hotel along with the kid.

The police registered a case of cheating and theft following the professor’s complaint. Based on the couple’s images recorded in the surveillance camera installed in the hotel hall, police launched a hunt for the accused and caught them while trying to dispose the stolen laptop at Shenoy Trade Centre.

Investigation revealed that Sohail was earlier arrested by the Dabeerpura police on charge of stealing motorcycles. The SI appealed to people not to believe online friends and respond to unsolicited emails and calls.

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