Sextortion: 75-Year-Old Vasant Kunj Resident Duped Of Over 7 Lakh By Man Posing As Former Delhi Police Commissioner

In his complaint with the Delhi Police, the victim said that on January 15, he received a message saying "hello" from a woman who introduced herself as Anjali Sharma. She then asked for a video call and appeared nude.

New Delhi: Online fraudsters, one of whom posed as former Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, allegedly forced a 75-year-old resident of Vasant Kunj to pay Rs 7.34 lakh in a case of “sextortion”. Reportedly, the cyber scammers trapped the victim identified as K N Joshi by using the modus operandi of obscene video chat followed by a call for extortion.

As per the FIR, one of the accused, Anjali Sharma asked the victim for a video call and appeared nude. Soon after the call got disconnected and the extortion began. The complainant alleged that he was put in fear by someone posing as top cop of Delhi police to extort money.

According to police, “In these types of cybercrime, fraudsters use recorded obscene videos of women which they play on video call to people. Initially people think that they have got a call from a woman. In the recorded call, these women ask people to undress or indulge into some obscene act. When they do that, these criminals record it and share it back to the people threatening that if they don’t pay money, it would be made viral on social media.”

The police further informed that even if some people merely received calls and refused to indulge in any obscene act, even then they fall pray to such criminals. “they recorded the video of such people, morphed it and made it obscene. They shared it back to people asking them to pay, otherwise they would make it viral on social media.”

THE TRAP

Joshi, in his complaint with the Delhi Police, has said that on January 15, he received a message saying “hello” from a woman who introduced herself as Anjali Sharma. She then asked for a video call and appeared nude, he said in his complaint, adding, “In a few minutes the call was disconnected.”

Two days later on January 17, she shared a morphed obscene video of Joshi and threatened that if he didn’t pay Rs 61,000, she would make it viral on social media. Joshi said that he immediately blocked the number.

Then on January 25, he missed a call from an unknown number. “I called back on the number and the person told me that he is Rakesh Asthana, Police Commissioner of Delhi. He said that he got information about the video call with Anjali and asked me whether you have contacted her,” Joshi told the police.

“I told him that I never met her. He said that Anjali is a drug smuggler whose actual name is Neha and shared a copy of the FIR. He said that the video is going viral on YouTube and gave me the number of Dhyaneshwar Bajirao,” he said.

When Joshi contacted Bajirao, he demanded Rs 21,500 and Rs 43,000 through a digital wallet to get those videos deleted and also assured him that he would get back the money.

“This made me gain some trust that they are actual police. He also shared a copy of the email stating that the video was deleted,” the FIR, registered on April 25, reads.

Joshi thought that his plight would be over after paying Rs 64,500 in two installments but the fraudsters kept asking for more money on one excuse or the other.

The person who posed himself as Asthana and his gang cooked up bizarre stories around Anjali to extort as much money they could from Joshi as possible. He introduced Joshi to a person called Ajay Kumar Ghagat and told him that Ghagat is an ACP and Joshi should pay him Rs 2 lakh for “chai pani” (tea and snacks — a euphemism for bribe).

Then the ACP shared a video of a dead body to Joshi and told him that Anjali’s mother has committed suicide and so he should pay Rs 4 lakh into her account.

A police officer, privy to the investigation, said that Joshi paid Rs 7,34,500 in total on three different dates.

Note: DCP Asthana retired as the Delhi Police commissioner in July 2022.

How to prevent sextortion

Preventing sextortion is crucial, given the severe impact and distress it causes the victims. Here are some tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of sextortion.

• Share as little personal information about yourself as you can.
• Utilise the privacy settings available on your social media platforms to safeguard your data. On Facebook, you can conceal specific profile details and your friend list. Similarly, review and adjust your privacy preferences on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.
• Consider using a nickname when creating a profile on dating sites. This can make it challenging for individuals who engage in sextortion to locate your personal information and uncover details about your friends, family, or acquaintances.
• It is advisable to always refrain from accepting friends or following requests from individuals whom you are not familiar with.
• Exercise caution when dealing with links and file downloads sent by unknown individuals, and also be wary of unexpected attachments, even from people you know. It is best to only click on them with careful consideration.
• It is recommended to cover your webcam when it is not in use.
• File a complaint as soon as possible since it makes taking action against criminals much easier.