A suspect who created Facebook pages using women’s photographs and earned money through fraudulent social media activities was arrested by the Cyber Crimes Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and produced before court today.
The arrest followed a complaint lodged by a married woman, who reported that a Facebook page had been created using her photos without consent, along with the caption “මගේ සද නුඹයි” (“You are my moon”).
Investigations revealed that the suspect had created multiple Facebook pages using photos of various women, boosted their reach and engagement, and later sold each page — with follower counts between 10,000 and 20,000 — for sums ranging from Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 2,000.
It was further found that the suspect transferred ownership of these pages by adding the buyers’ email addresses.
The CID determined that the individual had engaged in this scam through more than ten Facebook pages.
After considering the evidence, the Magistrate granted bail to the suspect.
The Cyber Crimes Division informed the court that the suspect’s online activities would continue to be closely monitored and that a report would be filed if he resumes any fraudulent conduct.
