Accused, who was out on bail, posed as royalty in order to target women on Instagram
Pukraj Dewasi aka Rajveer Singh
The Goregaon police on Tuesday night arrested a 25-year-old from Aarey Colony for allegedly extorting women after threatening to upload their personal photos on social media.
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According to police sources, the accused, Pukraj Dewasi alias Rajveer Singh, had a unique modus operandi—he would post hundreds of photos of himself inside Rajasthani palaces on Instagram. The youth would then send women friend requests and many would accept, believing he was a royal.
After befriending his victims, he would claim to be in love with them and eventually request personal photos, which he used for extortion, said an officer.
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The complainant, a 30-year-old married woman living in Goregaon, fell into this trap and the accused threatened to make her photos go viral unless he was paid.
"Afraid of slander, the complainant gave more than Rs4 lakh to the accused. But as his demands were not ending, she was forced to approach the police on November 10 and register a complaint," an officer of the Goregaon police station said.
Under the guidance of DCP Ajaykumar Bansal, Zone XI, and the supervision of senior police inspector Dattatry Thopte, API Atul Sanap and his team arrested the accused under sections of the Indian Penal Code and IT Act.
Dewasi had been arrested by the Juhu police in a similar case last year and was recently released on bail.
The accused hails from Rajasthan and his Instagram account is full of photos of dazzling palaces, luxury vehicles and security guards.
It is learnt that till now he has blackmailed more than 50 women.
"Dewasi was produced before the court and was remanded in two-day police custody," said an officer.
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