Scamsters have extorted a Khar resident of Rs 1.5 lakh using a unique modus operandi—they kept depositing large sums of money into his bank account and then threatened to release morphed images of him, as well as his loved ones, if he failed to pay back double these amounts in a short span of time. The 43-year-old complainant told the police that from May 13 to date, his tormentors were constantly depositing Rs 3,000, Rs 4,000, Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 into his account.

The complainant, who requested anonymity, told mid-day, “I am constantly receiving messages and calls via WhatsApp and the person on the other end shares various UPI links and a list of my phone contacts and threatens to release morphed images of me and my entire family unless I pay up." He added, “I have paid them nearly R1.5 lakh to date, but they are constantly calling and abusing me. Since I have been unemployed for the past few months, my family has been  using my retired father's pension to make ends meet."