27 December,2023 07:59 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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Police in Navi Mumbai arrested a 19-year-old man from Rajasthan for allegedly extorting more than Rs 43 lakh from a local resident after recording his videos during WhatsApp calls.
The accused, who hails from Dig in Rajasthan, allegedly made WhatsApp calls to the 34-year-old Navi Mumbai resident between May and August this year during which both of them appeared in the nude, newswire PTI reported quoting police.
The accused later threatened to upload videos of these conversations on YouTube, and extorted a total of Rs 43,22,900 from the complainant, said senior inspector Gajanan Kadam of the cyber wing of the Navi Mumbai police.
After the complainant approached police, a case was registered under IPC sections 384 (extortion), 420 (cheating) and 506 (criminal intimidation), and the accused was tracked down from the bank account numbers where the extorted money had been transferred.
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With the help of officials of Kama police station in Dig, accused Hamil Farid Khan was arrested from Paldi, a remote village on the border of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, on December 24.
Navi Mumbai police cyber cell official Poonam Gadge said several mobile phones, SIM cards and ATM cards were seized from the accused's possession.
Police froze a total of Rs 4,12,175 which the victim had paid into the different bank accounts, she said.
Also read: Mumbai crime news: Woman loses more than Rs 3 lakh while trying to buy dry-fruits online
The place from where Khan was arrested is a hotbed of cyber fraudsters, according to police.
Khan allegedly told police during questioning that he was involved in 13 similar crimes in Maharashtra and elsewhere.
While further probe was being conducted, Navi Mumbai police commissioner Milind Bharambe appealed to the citizens not to entertain WhatsApp calls from unknown numbers. PTI COR
Meanwhile, police in Palghar district arrested three persons, including a female, for allegedly shooting nude videos of women on the pretext of auditioning them for films and then selling the adult content.
The accused trio had on November 1 called a few women, including an 18-year-old, for auditions at a place under the jurisdiction of Arnala Sagari police. They promised the women roles in films, newswire PTI reported quoting officia.
Under the pretext of auditions, the trio shot nude videos of the complainants and then uploaded them on the web for money, said senior inspector Pramod Badakh of the Crime Unit III in Virar.
After registering a case on December 12, the police worked on various inputs and recently arrested one Anujkumar Jaiprakash Jaiswal (30) and a 33-year-old woman from Virar. Their interrogation led the police to the third accused, Sarjukumar Ramakant Vishwakarma (25), a resident of Badlapur in Thane district.
The police have received equipment required for shooting videos, including mobile phones and a laptop, worth Rs 1.9 lakh, he added. (With inputs from PTI)
