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Man held for trying to extort money from NCP legislator Yashwant Mane through obscene call
Yashwant Mane, who represents Mohol constituency in Solapur, was flooded with WhatsApp calls and messages from unknown numbers in the last week of January
The Pune police have arrested a 24-year-old man from Rajasthan for allegedly trying to extort ₹1 lakh from a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Yashwant Vitthal Mane after making an obscene call to him, an official said on Friday.
The NCP MLA has urged people to approach the police if they are targeted by fraudsters.
Mane got in touch with additional commissioner of police (crime) Ramnath Pokle and apprised him of the sextortion threat
Yashwant Mane, who represents Mohol constituency in Solapur, was flooded with WhatsApp calls and messages from unknown numbers in the last week of January, said Ramnath Pokale, additional commissioner of police (crime) of Pune police.
Mane ignored several calls before answering one video call, which was screen-recorded. “The caller used a screenshot of the call and demanded ₹1 lakh from Mane,” said the official. The MLA approached the Pune cyber police on February 2, following which the caller was traced and arrested from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, he said.
The accused, identified as Rizwan Aslam Khan (24), used to work as a truck driver but was involved in sextortion for the past two to three months, said police officials.
According to Mane the accused would often make obscene video calls and send explicit messages, which he often ignored. He answered one video call, and the accused started using it to demand money. “On January 31, I got many video calls on WhatsApp. When I answered one of them, an obscene visual came on the screen. Sensing something was wrong, I immediately disconnected the call,” said Mane.
The next morning, the caller sent a screenshot of the video and demanded ₹1 lakh. He threatened to share it on social media and with the MLA’s friend if the money was not paid
An FIR was lodged at the Cyber police station, Shivajinagar unders section 384, 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on February 2.
According to Pokale, the accused was actively involved in the crime and spoke to the legislator masquerading as a woman. “We have seized four mobile phones and SIM cards. We found that more people from his village are involved and we are taking help from the Rajasthan police. Also, 90 obscene videos have been found in his mobile phone which has been seized and sent for forensic analysis. The accused was produced before the court which has sent him into five days police custody and further investigation is underway ,” Pokale added.
(with agency inputs)
