Two held for extorting ₹6 lakh from lawyer using his obscene photos

Between September 7 and 23, they continued to extort money. After paying ₹6 lakh in several installments, he realised that the accused’s demands were never-ending and finally approached the Borivali police

Mumbai: Two masseurs were arrested on Tuesday for allegedly blackmailing a 63-year-old lawyer after secretly photographing him nude during a massage session and extorting ₹6 lakh from him.

A high angle shot of metal handcuffs isolated on a white background

According to the police, the complainant, a resident of Dahisar, had been suffering from body aches and had searched online for massage services. He found a contact number and booked a session with a person who identified himself as Sameer Ali, after which he called him to his vacant flat in Borivali for the session, sometime in August.

On September 7, when the complainant sought another session, Sameer Ali sent his associate Munna in his place. “During the session, Munna allegedly asked the lawyer to remove his clothes and secretly took nude photos and videos. A few hours later, Sameer Ali arrived at the flat, and the duo allegedly began blackmailing the lawyer with the images, threatening to leak them online unless he paid ₹6 lakh,” said a police officer.

The police said that when the lawyer refused, the accused allegedly assaulted him, threatened to kill him, and forcibly transferred ₹50,000 from his phone to their bank account. “Between September 7 and 23, they continued to extort money. After paying ₹6 lakh in several installments, he realised that the accused’s demands were never-ending and finally approached the Borivali police,” he added.

Laying a trap, the police asked the lawyer to call the accused to a meeting point under the pretext of paying the remaining amount, where the duo was arrested on Tuesday. Subsequently, they were produced before a court, which remanded them in police custody till Sunday.