Man arrested for cyber extortion of women through fake social media profiles: Delhi Police

New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The Delhi Police has arrested a man allegedly involved in a cyber extortion case targeting women through social media platforms, an official said on Tuesday.

The accused, identified as Manoj Verma, a resident of Lucknow, befriended women online by impersonating a woman.

"Verma then allegedly obtained private photos and videos from them and subsequently demanded money, threatening to circulate the content if his demands were not met," a senior police officer said.

He further said that a case came to light on September 21 when a woman filed a complaint alleging that an unknown person used fake identities on social media to befriend her, induced her to share private photographs, and then extorted money.

"Despite paying the demanded sums, the blackmailing persisted, prompting the police to register an FIR. A team conducted a detailed investigation. Investigators analysed UPI transactions and IP logs linked to the complainant's communications, which led to the identification of the accused," he added.

Following coordination with Lucknow police, the accused was apprehended during a raid. During interrogation, he admitted to his involvement in the offence.

Police recovered one mobile phone from him, containing chats, obscene videos, and fake social media accounts used to carry out the extortion.

Verma would create fake profiles of women and befriend other women on social media. He would lure them to share private pictures and then threatened to share the pictures online to extort money.

He further used victims’ photos to create additional fake accounts, putting pressure on them to pay more money Further investigation into the matter is underway. PTI BM SHS HIG