Mumbai: A 36-year-old software engineer fell victim to cyber fraudsters, losing Rs 4.10 lakh in a sextortion case. The Powai police station registered a case on August 20th.
As per the First Information Report (FIR), a 36-year-old software engineer residing in Andheri East, received a friend request on Facebook from a woman on July 31. After exchanging WhatsApp numbers and engaging in conversation, communication ceased for about three to four days. However, on August 11, she requested money, which he chose to disregard.
Victim receives call from fake police
Subsequently, on August 13, she sent him an edited video of him without clothes and demanded money. Again, he ignored the demand. The next day, he received a call from an individual claiming to be a cyber police officer. This caller directed him to follow specific instructions to resolve the issue, providing a number and posing as a YouTube manager.
The victim contacted the provided number, and the caller threatened to upload his video unless he paid Rs 31,500, which he complied with. The fraudster assured the victim that the video had been removed from YouTube. However, to erase it from other applications, he was instructed to pay Rs 63,000, which he agreed to.
Later, the scammer informed the victim that an individual named Anita Kumar had swindled nine other people, including him. To remove his name from this list, he was told to pay Rs 1.50 lakh. He made additional payments of Rs 1.10 lakhs and Rs 55,000.
Ultimately, the victim decided to file a case and submitted it under Section 420 of the IPC Act, along with Sections 66(c) and 66(d) of the Information Technology Act.
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