Hunted Australia’s Dr Karla Lopez has shared the psychological reasons behind IRL fugitives accidentally giving themselves away while on the run.

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Karla – who spent the last decade as a senior forensic psychologist for the Victorian Police – revealed that criminals often forget that technology is their biggest enemy.

“People are [not] necessarily aware that they carry a personal tracker with them every day,” Karla said, referring to mobile phones in particular.

dr karla lopez the hunted
Hunted Australia’s Dr Karla Lopez has spent the last decade as a senior forensic psychologist for the Victorian Police. Source: Ten

“Your phone knows where you are, where you’ve been and where you’re most likely to go on any given day. It’s pretty easy for your phone to tell others that,” she explained.

Hunted Australia’s Psychologist Karla Lopez Believes Fugitives’ Connections To Loved Ones Can Expose Them

Dr Karla explained that from a psychological perspective, people on the run are often held back by familial connections.

While on Hunted Australia, she repeatedly points out that fugitives Kris Chand and Puneet Gulati are the next potential targets (not that anybody has listened to her about this hunch so far) because the latter has a new baby at home.

Puneet Kris Hunted Australia
Dr Karla has repeatedly pointed out that fugitives Kris Chand and Puneet Gulati are the next potential targets. Source: Ten.

Even while on the run, Dr Karla believed it would be human nature for fugitives to reach out “to loved ones” or to seek out something comfortable and familiar.

“That’s ultimately what we’re trying to do with our fugitives, really trying to get to know what makes them tick, what motivates them, who their greatest supporters are and who they could rely on during the coming months,” she said.

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