A 58-year-old individual, formerly an officer on special duty (OSD) for a past Karnataka chief minister, became ensnared in a sextortion scheme, resulting in a financial loss of Rs 6.8 lakh.
According to a report by the Times of India, the victim, a resident of Malleswaram, shared a distressing encounter wherein he found himself entrapped.
The victim detailed that, as he exited a washroom after showering at a guest house in Nashik, Maharashtra, he responded to a video call. Subsequently, this call evolved into the basis for blackmail and extortion.
After the initial incident, as the perpetrators persistently demanded more money, the victim sought assistance from the Bengaluru city police commissioner. This led to the filing of a formal complaint with the cybercrime police unit.
The TOI report stated that the 58-year-old explained to the police that he initially dismissed the call as a mistake. However, around 1 pm on the following day, he received another call from an unfamiliar number.
The caller identified himself as Mahendra Singh, claiming to be a reporter associated with a prominent national Hindi news channel. Singh alleged that a woman had filed a complaint against the victim, accusing him of initiating a video call and engaging in inappropriate behavior.
Exploiting this situation, Singh coerced the victim into paying a sum of money, threatening to publicly share the victim’s video on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.
Subsequently, the victim came to realize that the couple who had initiated the video call on June 12 had clandestinely recorded his actions. To mitigate the situation, Singh assured the victim that he would delete the video upon receiving the demanded funds.
Under the weight of pressure, the victim complied and transferred Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 50,000 to the provided bank accounts as directed by the accused.
Later, on July 14, the culprits made repeated calls to the victim from four different numbers, compelling him to transfer Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.8 lakh to two separate accounts.
However, even after extorting Rs 6.8 lakh, when the accused escalated their demand to Rs 7.2 lakh, the victim opted to lodge a formal police complaint.
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