The police have launched an investigation into a case of cyber-blackmailing where an unknown person attempted to extort money from a 19-year-old student by sending screenshots of an intimate video featuring him and his female friend.
The complainant, from Dhule, received a WhatsApp message on September 27 containing screenshots of his private video with his female friend. The sender demanded Rs60,000, threatening to send the video to his female friend’s family. When the complainant asked the sender to identify himself, the accused claimed to know the family and continued the blackmail. The following day, the blackmailer called again to repeat his demand.
After negotiations, the complainant sent Rs50,000, but when the video was not deleted, he approached the police and registered a complaint. The complainant provided the blackmailer’s contact details and screenshots of their chats to the authorities.
A case has been filed under sections 308 (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and 67A (publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material) of the Information Technology Act.
