Delhi Police bust Mewat-based gang of sextortionist, 5 held
Darpan News Desk IANS, 27 Mar, 2023 10:31 AM
New Delhi, March 27 (IANS) Delhi Police have arrested five persons, including two juveniles, after busting a Mewat-based gang of sextortionist which indulged in blackmailing and extorting money from people, especially the elderly, by threatening to upload their objectionable pictures/videos online.
The accused have been identified as Rahul Khan (26), Arman (21) and Azad (41), all residents of Rajasthan, apart from two juveniles.
According to the police, a 67-year-old man had filed a complaint with the cyber police station in Shahdara district wherein he alleged that on March 18, he had received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown number in which a girl was performing some obscene act.
"After some time, the complainant started receiving extortion calls. Someone introduced himself as the SHO of the cyber police station and tried to extort money by saying that if the complainant does not transfer the money, he would circulate the complainant's nude video on social media," said Rohit Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Shahdara.
Under pressure, the victim had transferred a total of Rs 13,70,000 to the cheater's bank account, the DCP said.
During investigation, the police collected all the relevant information, including the call detail records and WhatsApp chat details.
"All the bank details and phone numbers of the cheaters were analysed, following which raids were conducted at Bharatpur and Alwar in Rajasthan from where three adults and two juveniles were apprehended," the DCP said.
On interrogation, it was revealed that the gang used to make WhatsApp video calls or Messenger calls to the victims and start playing obscene videos of girls using a second mobile phone and provoke the victims to do the same.
The accused then recorded the calls along with taking screen shots. To commit the crime, the accused purchased SIM cards and cellphones from West Bengal and managed the fraud bank accounts with the help of other co-accused persons.
"To threaten the victims, the accused introduced themselves as 'Vikram Rathore', SHO, cyber police station, and 'Sanjay' from YouTube. They mainly used to target elderly people as many of them were reluctant to lodge complaints in such a matter," the DCP said.
The police have also traced money trail of more than Rs 40 lakh from the frozen accounts the accused. More than 20 victims were also traced who had transferred money into these accounts.
"A total of 24 videos were found from the phones recovered from the accused. Rahul, the mastermind, used to pose as Sanjay from YouTube, while Azad used to introduce himself as SHO Vikram Rathore," the officer said.
Carrying placards, father Balkaur Singh and mother Charan Kaur told the media it has been almost a year of the crime occurrence and the main culprits have not been arrested.They demanded that the case should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as crucial witnesses "are being eliminated and nothing is going in their favour."
The accused were identified as Mohd. Danish (33) and Danish alias Raja (30), both residents of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh. Police have also recovered five high end luxury cars and SUVs from the possession of the accused.
The cause of the provocation is yet to be ascertained, an official told IANS, adding the situation is under control. Videos of the ruckus were viral on the social media. Many parked vehicles and a nearby police station was pelted on with stones.
The court had, on March 4, extended Sisodia's CBI custody for two days and listed his bail plea for March 10 and in the last two days, the CBI questioned him with key witnesses -- former excise commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna and former excise department secretary C. Arvind -- in this case, who recorded their statements in front of a magistrate.
A police official said that the two men, wearing masks, entered the bank branch at around 9.45 a.m. when only three employees were present there, and threatened the staff with a pistol. They forced the staff to open the vault where Rs 10 lakh was kept and fled with the money by 10.30 am.
The Chief Minister, who reviewed the arrangements for the mega event here, said Punjab is fully ready to host the sessions and asked the officers to ensure foolproof arrangements for the working sessions slated to take place at the holy city of Amritsar next week.
