Elderly businessman befriends fraudster on train, loses Rs 8.8 lakh in sextortion

An elderly Ahmedabad businessman has accused three men of blackmailing him with an obscene video and defrauding him of Rs 8.8 lakh. The man had previously befriended one of the fraudsters during a train journey to Punjab in 2023.

In Short

• Elderly businessman met main accused during 2023 train journey to Punjab
• Accused used intimate videos to blackmail and threaten man
• Man paid in instalments fearing social embarrassment, files complaint

An elderly businessman from Ahmedabad filed a police complaint after allegedly being blackmailed and defrauded of Rs 8.8 lakh by three young men who threatened to circulate obscene videos of him. The man, who runs a catering business, first met one of the accused, Nikhil Khurana, during a train journey to Punjab in 2023.

The man was travelling to attend an event in Jalandhar when Khurana struck up a conversation with him. The two exchanged phone numbers and remained in touch thereafter.

Over time, Khurana gained the man’s trust. In 2024, he reportedly told the businessman that he was preparing for the IELTS examination and needed financial assistance due to poor economic conditions and his mother’s ill health. Believing him, the man transferred Rs 17,000 to help him with exam expenses.

Police said the situation escalated last year when Khurana allegedly began sending inappropriate content to the elderly man, including a nude video. In September last year, he reportedly engaged the man in a video call, during which he allegedly recorded objectionable footage without consent. The video later became the basis for a blackmail scheme.

Soon after, another accused – Sahil Khurana – contacted the man, posing as a private investigator linked to the Crime Branch. He allegedly threatened to circulate the explicit video among the victim’s relatives and on social media platforms unless a large sum of money was paid.

Fearing social embarrassment and reputational damage, the elderly man transferred money in multiple instalments. In total, he paid Rs 8.8 lakh to the accused, although they had initially demanded Rs 15 lakh.

The harassment reportedly continued, prompting the elderly man to eventually seek help. He contacted the cybercrime helpline before filing an official complaint with the Khokhara police. A third individual, Rahul, is also named in the complaint.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case against the three accused under relevant sections related to extortion, cheating, criminal intimidation and cybercrime. An investigation is underway to trace and catch the suspects.

Officials have urged people to remain cautious while interacting with strangers online or over phone calls and to report any instances of cyber extortion or blackmail immediately.

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