Delhi Police nab 2 for running sextortion racket

Delhi Police arrest 2 for blackmailing victims with sex videos, extorting money from at least 25 people across the country.

The Delhi Police has busted a gang that extorted money from people by tempting them into performing a sex act, video recording the act, and then using the video to blackmail their victims, officers aware of the case said on Thursday, adding that two people have been arrested in connection with the case.

Police also recovered seven cellphones and 11 SIM cards used in the racket, officers said. (Representational image)

Officers identified the accused as Mahfuz Rehman, 39, and Amir Khan, 26, both residents of the Mewat region in Rajasthan. They said the suspects have allegedly extorted money from at least 25 people across the country, including residents of Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.

Giving details of the case, deputy commissioner of police (east) Apoorva Gupta said that in January, a 71-year-old doctor filed a police complaint at the cyber police station in east Delhi, stating that he was blackmailed into paying ₹8.6 lakh after his private videos were recorded. As the criminals continued to demand money, the doctor decided to report the matter to the police and filed his complaint.

A case was registered and investigation was taken up, the police said.

During the probe, DCP Gupta said that the investigating team perused the money and communication trail and found that the money had been transferred into various accounts in Haryana, Punjab and Maharashtra. All the accounts were opened digitally — solely for the purpose of receiving cheated money, and lacked proper Know Your Customer (KYC) verification.

“Investigators obtained the phone call detail record (CDR) and internet protocol detail record (IPDR) related to the suspects and examined them. After repeated searches, the location of the phone numbers was traced to the Mewat region in Rajasthan,” she said.

Subsequently, police conducted a raid at the Solpur Peeli village in Deegh district of Rajasthan on February 29, and Rehman and Khan were arrested. Police also recovered seven cellphones and 11 SIM cards used in the racket, officers said.