The Delhi police has arrested a 23-year-old Indian man for extorting money from 700 women whom he befriended on social media platforms like Bumble and Snapchat. He posed as a US-based model before unsuspecting women and used photographs of a Brazilian model to entrap them in his extensive extortion plan.
The police arrested Tushar Bisht on charges of exploiting online platforms such as Bumble and Snapchat to lure his victims, blackmail them using private photos and videos.
"Posing as a US-based freelance model, the accused created fake identities using a virtual international mobile number and photographs of a Brazilian model," deputy commissioner of Delhi Police (West), Vichitra Veer, said in the statement.
Bisht used the fake profiles to connect with women aged between 18 and 30 years on various online dating platforms.
"His primary targets were users of Bumble, Snapchat and WhatsApp," the statement added.
He allegedly gained the trust of the victims by engaging in conversations. He would convince them to share their intimate photos and videos and later blackmailed them by threatening to share the material on the internet.
"Once he obtained the content, he resorted to blackmail, threatening to leak the sensitive material online, or sell them to the dark web unless the victims paid him," the DCP said.
{{/usCountry}}"Once he obtained the content, he resorted to blackmail, threatening to leak the sensitive material online, or sell them to the dark web unless the victims paid him," the DCP said.
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The police found incriminating material on the accused's mobile phones, including 13 credit cards linked to several banks.
The extortion racket came to light on December 13 when a Delhi University student filed a complaint with the cyber police station.
He met her on Bumble posing as a US-based model visiting India for work. The accused later persuaded her to share private photos and videos on Snapchat and WhatsApp. He, however, refused to meet the victim.
"The situation escalated when the accused sent her a private video she had shared, and demanded money. Pressured, the victim made small payments, citing her financial constraints. However, the relentless demands drove her to inform her family and lodge a complaint," the DCP said.
He was arrested from Delhi's Shakarpur area.
The police said Bisht had been using a virtual international mobile number for over two years, which he obtained through an app. He made his fake profiles to dupe women, reported PTI.
"Initially, he did this for amusement but later he turned it into a calculated scheme to extort money. He confessed to possessing private content of numerous women and blackmailing several of them for financial gains," Vichitra Veer said in the statement.
Who is Tushar Bisht?
According to PTI, Bisht comes from a middle-class family based in Shakarpur. His father is a driver and mother a homemaker. His sister works in a company in Gurugram.
He is a BBA graduate. He has been working as a technical recruiter at a Noida-based private firm for the past three years.