31 May,2023 11:10 AM IST | Thane | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Image. Pic/iStock
A 39-year-old man from Maharashtra's Thane city working as a corporate consultant has allegedly lost Rs 6.50 lakh after being lured by a woman on a video call, police told news agency PTI on Wednesday.
As per the victim's complaint, he received a WhatsApp video call from a number on March 17, 2023, where a woman spoke to him. In the midst of the call, she suddenly undressed herself following which the man immediately disconnected the call, an official from Kasarwadavali police station told PTI.
After some time, the man received a video of the woman and some screen shots wherein he was seen conversing with her. He then immediately deleted the contents.
The next day, the man received a call from an unknown number wherein the caller posed as the police commissioner of Delhi, the official said quoting the complaint, reported PTI.
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According to PTI, the caller informed the man that a woman was running a sex racket and the police while making efforts to arrest her came across the man's video which was about to be uploaded on social media.
The caller asked the man to contact a person referred by him if he wanted to stop the video from being uploaded on social media, the official said.
When the man called that person, he allegedly demanded Rs 50,000 from him. The man made the payment out of the fear of being defamed, the official said.
Later, different persons called the man between March 18 and 25 and allegedly extorted a total of Rs 6.50 lakh from him, he said.
The man filed a police complaint on Tuesday, based on which an FIR was registered against 10 named persons and five other unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), and provisions of the Information Technology Act, the official said.
No arrest has been made so far, the police said, adding that a probe was on into the case.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case against two persons, including a juvenile, for allegedly threatening a ration shopkeeper and attempting to extort money from him in Maharashtra's Thane district.
On May 11, the two accused went to a fair price shop in Ulhasnagar township and allegedly demanded 10 kilograms of rice from the shopkeeper, reported PTI.
When the shopkeeper expressed his inability to supply the rice as he did not have any stock, the accused allegedly brandished a knife and warned him of dire consequences if he did not provide the same as well as âhafta' (protection money) for running the shop, a police official from Ulhasnagar police station told PTI.
Some people from the neighbourhood rushed to rescue the victim following which the accused got annoyed and warned them also of dire consequences, as per the FIR based on the shopkeeper's complaint.
The police registered a case against the accused on Sunday under Indian Penal Code Section 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion) and 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention), the official said.
The accused have not been apprehended so far, he said, adding that a probe was on into the case.
(With inputs from PTI)
