Ahmedabad man gets video call, finds nude woman on screen, hangs up in fear, loses Rs 49 lakh

A 25-year-old man working in a private company and living in Ahmedabad was targeted by scammers, who extorted over Rs 49 lakh from him with threats of arrest and harm to his reputation.

In Short

• 25-year-old working for a private company targeted by scammers
• Fraudsters call him posing as police official and YouTube executive
• Man transfers a total of Rs 49.78 lakh fearing arrest, harm to reputation

A 25-year-old man in Ahmedabad was allegedly extorted of more than Rs 49 lakh by scammers who tricked him into believing that his face had appeared in a "nude video" and threatened to make it viral.

He eventually lodged a complaint with the police, with a probe into the matter now underway.

According to the police, the blackmail started after the man received a WhatsApp video call from an unknown number on September 3. When he answered the call, a nude woman suddenly appeared on the screen.

Shocked by this, he immediately disconnected the call and blocked the number. A short while later, the man, who works for a private company, received another WhatsApp call from a different number.

This time, the caller told him that his "nude video" had been recorded and would be made viral unless money was transferred to their bank account.

The complainant again disconnected the call and blocked the number. During the exchange, he also received a video, which he later deleted.

The fraudsters contacted him once again on September 27, this time from another unknown number. The caller identified himself as Sanjay Arora, saying he was an officer with the Delhi Cyber Crime Branch.

The man became frightened when the caller spoke about the "nude video" and threatened police action.

The caller told him that offences related to nude videos carried a seven-year prison sentence and that the Ahmedabad Police could arrest him.

He then allegedly told the complainant to speak to a supposed YouTube representative and complete a "due process" to avoid arrest.

The accused subsequently connected the unsuspecting man with another scammer who claimed to be a YouTube executive.

According to the police, this person told the complainant that two nude videos had surfaced in his name and that he would have to pay Rs 71,250 to get them deleted.

Fearing police action and wanting to prevent the supposed videos from being circulated, the man agreed to pay the amount. The scammers then allegedly began demanding more money from him, citing different reasons each time.

They repeatedly threatened to make the "nude video" viral and ruin his career. He claimed that he was also intimidated with threats of police action and arrest.

He kept giving in to the repeated demands, transferring a total of Rs 49.78 lakh over various occasions to the accounts provided by the scammers.

However, even after receiving the amount, the accused continued to demand more money.

The man eventually realised that he had fallen victim to cyber fraud and approached the Cyber Crime Branch.

Investigators are examining the bank accounts into which the money was transferred and trying to determine how many people were involved in the fraud.

- Ends