List of Contents: (The Mystery of a Cyber Friend)
- Introduction
- Summary
- Short questions and answers – group A
- Question answers Group B
- Question answers – Group – C
Introduction:
Zac O’Yeah’s Mystery of a Cyber Friend is an informative children’s story written with the objective of raising awareness regarding cyber crimes among children and parents. In the 21st century, it is impossible to imagine our life without computers and the internet. Social media platforms and various informative websites have opened the world of knowledge and opportunity to people. However, these platforms are not without their drawbacks. Investing a significant amount of time on the internet and oversharing personal information on social media platforms makes us, especially youth, vulnerable to various forms of cybercrimes. Their unawareness makes them susceptible to fraud, identity theft, or even sexual exploitation.
Summary of the Mystery of a Cyber Friend
Shree and her Computer
The protagonist, Shree, is a young girl who lives in a small town called Jatpadi Junction. She lives with her parents and her aunt, whom she calls Akka. Shree’s parents are hard-working—her mother works in a jewellery shop, while her father is a taxi driver. Both of them want Shree to learn computers. They were satisfied to notice Shree enjoying her computer. Shree used the computer to research her school projects, complete her homework and send emails. She enjoyed playing games on the computer. She also stayed in touch with her school friend through a social media platform named FriendsNet.
FriendsNet
The friends often shared about their afterschool activity with each other on the internet. Shree always conversed about the delicious foods she ate, which her Akka prepared for her every day. However, one day her friends teased her about her eating all the time; embarrassed and annoyed, Shree unfriended them. She regretted her decision soon after, but before she could apologise, a new friend request surprised her.
Mystery Cyber Friend
The profile belonged to a beautiful girl named Chitra. Shree accepts the friend’s request, and they become friends. Chitra was very kind and understanding. She spoke nicely to Shree and informed her that they were of the same age and that she studied in a nearby school. The next day, on the way to school, Shree tried to locate Chitra’s school but failed, as there was no such school near hers. Shree felt confused and wondered if Chitra was lying to her.
Confusion
That day, Shree didn’t touch her hot noodles and appeared troubled, which worried Akka. Concerned, she asked Shree about whether anything was troubling her. Shree, however, lied and said that she was worried about her schoolwork. In reality, Shree could not eat because she was preoccupied with the thought of asking Chitra about her school.
But before she could bring up the topic, Chitra asked her to send a selfie. Embarrassed, Shree admits that she has no camera. Chitra then offers to gift her camera to Shree and invites her to meet at the railway station so that they can exchange the gift. Chitra also instructed her to come alone.
Suspicion
Just then, Akka entered the room to clean and happened to glance at the computer screen. She identified the profile picture to be of the famous actress Madhoo and innocently asked Shree if she was friends with the actress. Shree, however, insists that the profile picture belonged to her friend Chitra. But Akka was convinced that it belonged to the actress.
Shree initially refused to believe Akka because she could not understand why Chitra would lie to her. After a while, Shree decided to confirm whether Chitra was lying or not and asked her about the earring in the picture. Chitra replied that she made it herself. Shree was now even more suspicious of Chitra.
Shree confided in Akka that she was worried about her new online friend and asked her to accompany her to meet Chitra at the Railway Junction the next day. Akka agrees and decides to inform the station manager about the situation in case anything serious happens.
Revelation
Shree waited at the station but could not see anyone who looked like Chitra. After a few minutes, an unknown man around the age of her father approached her while calling her by her name. Shree was horrified to discover that Chitra was actually an uncle who was pretending to be a girl to befriend her. She screamed in fear, but Akka arrived just in time to rescue her, with the station manager right behind her. She strikes the man with her purse. The man flees away from the place and hides himself in the crowded train. The station manager pursued the man but failed to catch him.
Conclusion
After the failed attempt to catch the imposter, they went to the police station to lodge a formal complaint. The police praised Shree for confiding in a trusted adult and informed her that they would like to conduct a cyber safety class at her school. The next day an expert from the cybercrime cell arrived to inspect her computer, and within minutes they discovered the criminal’s location. The following day, the man was arrested from his office in Bangaluru. It was revealed that this man has been trying to befriend many young boys and girls.
After this incident Shree decided to only befriend her schoolmates and never share her personal information and other details with strangers.
The Mystery of the Cyber Friend Questions:
A. Fill in the blanks
1. Shree’s mother worked in a jewellery shop, while her father was a taxi driver.
2. Shree’s parents were pleased that she was learning to use the computer.
3. Shree’s aunt, fondly called Akka, stayed with them.
4. Shree enjoyed spending time on FriendsNet, a website that connected her to friends.
5. When Shree got angry with her friends, she decided to block them.
6. When Akka saw Chaitra’s picture, she identified her as Madhoo.
B. Answer these questions.
1. What did Shree use the computer for? What did she do on FriendsNet?
She used the computer to research and complete her homework and school projects. She stayed in contact with her school friends via FriendsNet.
2. What made Shree remove her school friends from her FriendsNet group?
Shree’s friend jokingly teased her about her eating all the time. Shree was annoyed at their remark; that’s why in anger she removed her school friends from her FriendsNet group.
3. Shree started feeling uneasy about her friend Chaitra. Why?
Shree accepted a friend request from an unknown girl named Chitra who appeared to be of the same age as her. Chitra mentioned during their conversation that she goes to a school near Shree’s.
The next day on her way to the school, Shree carefully observed the area around her school, trying to locate Chitra’s school. Surprisingly, she could not find any school near hers. This confused Shree and made her suspicious regarding Chitra’s identity. She was puzzled as to why Chitra would lie to her. Yet at the same time, Chitra was also very kind and supportive in their chats. She did not know whether to trust her new friend or not.
4. What did Akka say that made Shree doubt her cyber friend?
Akka observed that the profile picture on Chitra’s account belonged to Madhoo, a popular film actress. She informed Shree and shared her confusion regarding Chitra’s identity. Shree at first refuted the idea. But later she started to doubt her online friend.
5. What was the smart thing that Shree did in the story Mystery of a Cyber Friend?
Shree was smart enough to confess to Akka about her new friend Chitra. She shared her suspicion regarding Chitra’s identity.
6. The man had been trying to befriend many young boys and girls online. To befriend someone is to
a) Make friends with them.
b) Send a friend request online.
Answer: B
C. Think and Answer. (Mystery of a cyber Friend)
- Who was Chitra? Why do you think Chitra wanted to meet her alone?
Chitra was an imposter around the age of Shree’s father who pretended to be a young girl. He would send friend requests to young kids and befriend them, using pictures of female celebrities. Chitra was an online predator who lured innocent children to take advantage of them. He asked to meet Chitra alone because he wanted to harm her.
