BELAGAVI: Malamaruti police in Karnataka’s Belagavi arrested three YouTubers for allegedly planting a hidden camera inside the bedroom of a government officer.
The trio later reportedly attempted to extort Rs 50 lakh by blackmailing her with the private videos.
The arrested accused have been identified as Sameer Nisar Ahmed Sheikh (32), Abdul Rasheed Makanadar (51) and Mohammed Balekundri, all residents of Gokak.
Police said the three accused posed as journalists while running an organised blackmail racket targeting the woman officer.
According to the police, the accused secretly installed hidden cameras inside light holders in a room at the officer’s residence to record her private moments without her knowledge or consent. They later allegedly approached the victim, threatened to make the videos public, and demanded Rs 50 lakh to suppress the footage.
The woman officer filed a complaint at the Malamaruti police station, following which a special team led by CPI B R Gadekar conducted an operation and arrested the accused.
During the operation, police seized electronic devices allegedly used for surveillance and blackmail, including four mobile phones, a 64 GB pen drive, six hidden camera holders, two OTG connectors, two memory card readers, eight 128 GB memory cards, and two cars used by the accused.
A case has been registered at the Malamaruti police station under relevant sections of the IPC and the Information Technology Act. Further investigation is underway to ascertain whether other victims were targeted and to determine the full extent of the blackmail network.
Senior police officials described the case as a “serious and alarming offence” and said those posing as journalists to commit crimes would be dealt with sternly.