Delhi police arrest sextortion racket kingpin from Rajasthan

The Delhi Police has arrested the alleged kingpin of a sextortion racket from Rajasthan’s Mewat region for duping a 21-year-old man of Rs 2.52 lakh through a fake video call and blackmail, an official said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Abas Khan (25), a resident of Alwar district in Rajasthan, was allegedly involved in multiple sextortion and fraud cases and acted as a key operator in the cybercrime network, police said.

According to the police, the case came to light after a Delhi resident lodged an online complaint alleging that he was extorted after receiving a friend request from a woman.

During chats, the complainant shared his mobile number following which he received a video call in which obscene content was played.

“Soon after disconnecting the call, he started receiving threats that his video had been recorded and would be circulated on social media if he failed to pay money,” a senior police officer said.

Fearing public humiliation, the victim transferred Rs 2.52 lakh in multiple transactions, she added.

Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered on January 12 and an investigation was launched.

The police said analysis of social media accounts, profiles, digital footprints and bank transactions revealed that mule bank accounts and fake identities were used to execute the fraud.

“During the investigation, the operational footprints and digital trail led the team to the Mewat region. A team conducted a raid in a village in Alwar with assistance from local police. During the raid, Khan was apprehended,” the officer said.

During interrogation, the accused disclosed that fake female profiles were created to trap victims before blackmailing them using screen-recorded video calls. Further investigation is under way to identify other members of the racket.