Mumbai: Man falls prey to sextortionists, loses more than Rs 3 lakh

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A 30-year-old man from the western suburb of Andheri allegedly lost more than Rs 3 lakh to unidentified persons who claimed to have posted nude videos of him on social media, police said on Monday.

The incident came to light after the cash-strapped victim approached the police on Saturday, an official said.

The victim, who works in a private firm, claimed that he received a video call from an unidentified number on WhatsApp on the night of February 22, he said.

On receiving the call, the complainant saw a naked woman, whose face was not seen, and he disconnected the call, the official said, adding that the man received three more calls on the same night.

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The next day, the victim received a call from another number and the caller claimed that a nude video of him was available on YouTube and he would have to pay Rs 31,500 to remove it, he said.

Accordingly, the victim paid the caller through an online transaction. He soon received two more calls, during which the caller demanded Rs 62,500 to delete two more videos, the official said.

After making the payment, the victim was again harassed with a demand of Rs 1.51 lakh, which he borrowed from a friend. When the calls didn't stop even after shelling out Rs 3.06 lakh, the man approached the police, he said.

An offence under section 420 (cheating) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act has been registered and further probe is underway, the official added.

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