HYDERABAD: The playbook for cybercrime is evolving from simple blackmail to an elaborate bureaucracy. In a recent case, fraudsters running a sextortion racket went beyond threats, they invented a fake Delhi ACP and an “International YouTube In-charge” in a bid to extract more money from a victim.
A 54-year-old CISF employee from Shamshabad lost Rs 1.89 lakh in the scam. He told the police that on the night of October 6, he received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown woman who identified herself as Monika Agarwal. During the brief call, she undressed and asked him to do the same. Within 10 seconds, the call ended.
About 30 minutes later, he received a WhatsApp message containing a video and two edited images. The woman then began calling him repeatedly, threatening to circulate the visuals on social media and among his friends and relatives unless he paid her. Out of fear, he transferred Rs 1.89 lakh between October 6 and 8.
On October 11, a man posing as a Delhi Crime Branch ACP called him, claiming a complaint had been filed against him on YouTube. He was told to delete the videos and send a PDF confirmation from the “International YouTube In-charge”. When he contacted the number given, a person named Sanjay Singh demanded `49,999, assuring him the videos would be deleted and most of the amount refunded after deducting a processing fee.
The victim then informed his family, who advised him not to pay further. He subsequently filed a complaint with the Cyberabad Cybercrime police, who are investigating the case.
