Are pretty girls an easy target for bluffmasters, who are capable of generating innovative ways of conning the former? Recently, a 28-year-old MBA student was arrested in the city for allegedly befriending girls through text messages and then stealing their valuables.
The alleged culprit had a boastful database of 150 girls, and had committed such crimes in the past, but this had gone unreported. He was nabbed when Priya (name changed) reported him to the police. She told the police that he had befriended her through persistent calls and text messages and she finally agreed to meet him.
“He came to pick her up at the railway station. Some time after she got down from the car, he stole her money, two cellphones and a laptop. He put a stone in her laptop bag so she wouldn’t know. On reaching home she found her stuff missing and when she tried calling him she was surprised to find all contacts and even text messages were missing from her phone,” said deputy commissioner of police Chaya Sharma.
Some say city girls are indeed soft targets for such conmen. “A bluffmaster must have done thorough research on his victim. He would have chosen a vulnerable girl, who he was sure would fall prey,” says Niru Kaur, a 24-year-old professional. “And here he went wrong, as the girl finally got him behind bars,” she adds.
“Some men use their dirty tactics, while other may use their good looks to cheat girls,” adds Beny Sacheva, a young professional.
Seconds Chahat Uppall, 23, who says such men con girls for different reasons. “It’s not only for money, we have seen many cases when such thugs have taken physical advantage of girls as well,” she says. “It’s got to do with the fact that girls are vulnerable and a softer target than boys,” she sums up.