A 70-year-old retired government employee in Hyderabad allegedly lost Rs 38.73 lakh in a sextortion scam, said the police on Wednesday. Over multiple blackmail bids, the scammers, pretending to be a minor girl, her uncle, a police constable and even a sub-inspector, allegedly siphoned off money from the victim.
According to police, the victim first received a Facebook friend request from the scammer who posed a minor girl. She allegedly claimed that her father had abandoned them and that her mother was a tailor, convincing the victim to pay Rs 10,000 for a Wi-Fi connection, as per the complaint. The scammer provided a mobile number, allegedly belonging to a cable operator, and stopped contacting the victim after that, said the police.
The victim then contacted the “cable operator”, who claimed that the girl had fallen ill and required surgery for a serious intestinal condition, said the police. The “cable operator” allegedly requested the victim to send money for her medical treatment. Based on this request, the victim transferred Rs 10 lakh on various dates for hospital expenses and personal needs, said the police.
The victim also allegedly sent his Standard Chartered Bank credit card to the “cable operator”, who then withdrew Rs 2.65 lakh. Later, the “cable operator” informed the victim that he was going to Dubai and ceased all contact, said the police. Meanwhile, the victim received a message from the same mobile number, saying that the mother and sister of the “cable operator” wanted to chat with him. During these chats, they involved the victim in sexually explicit conversations, the police said.
The “cable operator” allegedly threatened to go to the police and complain how the victim had chatted inappropriately with his minor sister. He was allegedly pressured to pay a certain amount, threatening a police case. Then, a person claiming to be a police constable allegedly contacted the victim and advised to settle the matter.
The victim said he paid Rs 12.5 lakh for the girl’s education and to repay her mother’s loan. The scammer, pretending to be a police constable, told the victim that a sub-inspector had taken a photocopy of the complaint and demanded Rs 10 lakh to not proceed with the case, said the police.
When the victim paid the amount, the “police constable” demanded another Rs 1 lakh, which also the victim paid, said the police. The “constable” then allegedly claimed that the SI had been transferred and a new SI had taken charge. The new “SI” also allegedly blackmailed the victim, stating that he had chatted with a minor girl and demanded Rs 7 lakh to avoid a case under the Pocso Act. The victim paid Rs 7.37 lakh, said the police.
Story continues below this ad
One night, the victim received a video call from the “minor girl”. The next day, the victim allegedly received messages and calls from someone claiming to be from the police station, demanding Rs 6.5 lakh for the minor girl’s grandfather and Rs 20 lakh for the “SI”. As the caller threatened to file a criminal case, the victim, who had already paid Rs 38.73 lakh, decided to approach the police.
