Facebook ‘friend’ robs youth, sells items on OLX

The Delhi police on Wednesday arrested a youth who committed robbery after befriending with the victim on social networking site Facebook.

The matter came to light when the victim, Kishan Gopen Meitei, a resident of Gandhi Vihar under Timarpur police station, approached to police with a complaint against his Facebook friend. Meitei told the police that the accused came in contact with him through one Sonu on Facebook and they became friends. After being in contact for a few weeks through Facebook Messenger, they met for a party at his place. Next day, the victim found his room was ransacked and all electronic goods and cash was missing. The Facebook friend was also missing since then.

The accused was identified as Imran, a native of Bulandshahar district in Uttar Pradesh.

The police said Imran had created a Facebook profile in a fictitious name and befriended with the victim on the social networking site. Soon, Imran and the victims agreed for a party on Facebook at the victim’s place. A roommate of the victim also joined the party and trio partied hard. During the party, the accused purposely offered more liquor to the complainant and his roommate. When the victim and his friend were taken over by alcohol, the accused ransacked the room and fled with the stolen items.

“The accused took away a laptop, two luxury wrist watches, four mobile phones, a wallet and cash from the victim’s room. He had also sold one of the stolen luxury watches and one high-end mobile phone on OLX. However, these items have been recovered by the police,” said a senior police official.

“We laid a trap and the accused was apprehended while he was trying to sell one more stolen luxury watch on a social networking site,” said a senior police official.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that he was working as a scrap dealer in the area of Timarpur and suffered losses in his business. So he shifted to his native village Gulaothi in Bulandshaher, UP, said the police.

The police said that accused Imran comes from a poor family and has studied up to Class 7. He had suffered losses in the last two years and was forced to close his business.