The former minister, a veteran politician, fell victim to such a scam when he accepted a friend request in October 2020 from a young woman who identified herself as a 30-year-old professional Delhi-Gurgaon, say police sources close to the development.
Over time, the two exchanged phone numbers and started exchanging friendly chats. In March this year, the woman called the former minister and asked if he was alone. “On being told that he is alone and at home, the woman said a surprise awaited her and got disconnected. Then she did a video call where she was naked on camera,” said a police officer.
Soon after the three-minute call ended, the former minister found a video of the woman naked and the former minister imprisoned in the chat window below and demanded Rs 2.5 lakh otherwise his ‘wrongs’ would be made public.
The former minister used his influence in the police department. Senior police officers came to his rescue and the accounts of the blackmailers were deactivated and the criminals sent a message to be clear.
Not everyone is affected by the mental pressure of dealing with such sextortionists and being a victim of blackmail and paying huge sums of money.
An 80-year-old agricultural cooperative leader has been cited as one of the cases, who was targeted by extortionists thrice.
‘Social stigma keeps men from going here’ police‘
The former minister paid Rs 1.5-2 lakh several times before taking the help of the police,” said a police officer.
Police say the racket has become rampant especially after the Covid-19 pandemic and they receive an average of eight to ten complaints per day. Police say, “People of all ages and all economic classes are being targeted. The youngest victims were a 12-year-old boy and an 80-year-old man.”
Police said that since pornographic videos make victims vulnerable to social stigma and ridicule, many men pay instead to seek police help. Police said, “Most come to us when the extortion continues and they cannot make further payments. Most still do not want to file a formal complaint.”
Police advised victims to seek the support of their families and to combat blackmailers by dialing 100, rather than suffering silently.
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