Borivli police bust massage extortion racket nab duo who filmed the video; third accused still on the run
Two accused in police custody. Pic/By Special Arrangement
The Borivli police have arrested two men for allegedly blackmailing and extorting money from a 63-year-old high court lawyer by threatening to leak nude videos they had secretly filmed during a massage.
The accused have been identified as Sameer Ali Hanif Khan, 21, and Bhupendra Bhagwan Singh, 25. Sameer was arrested from Kherwadi, while Bhupendra was nabbed in Andheri. A third accused, Manvinder alias Munna, is absconding.
According to police sources, the incident occurred between September 7 and September 22. The complainant, a Borivli West resident, had been searching for massage services on JustDial when Sameer first contacted him. After two regular sessions, on the third meeting Sameer arrived with Bhupendra and Manvinder.
During the massage, Bhupendra allegedly filmed the lawyer in the nude and then showed him the video, threatening to make it viral unless he paid Rs 50,000. When the complainant refused, the trio assaulted him with a belt and kicks. Fearing defamation and violence, the lawyer transferred the amount via GPay. The accused split the extortion money, with Sameer and Bhupendra keeping Rs 20,000 each and Manvinder taking Rs 10,000.
Last week, Bhupendra again called the lawyer, this time demanding Rs 6 lakh with the same threat of leaking the video. The repeated harassment finally pushed the complainant to approach Borivli police, who registered a case on September 23.
Under the supervision of Senior Inspector Madhusudan Naik, a team comprising API Bapu Ghodke, API Sagar Salunke, SPI Indrajeet Patil, PSI Kalyan Patil and cyber cell staff tracked down the accused. Both arrested men confessed during interrogation.
Police said the accused had previously worked as caretakers for senior citizens in wealthy households across Mumbai, while taking up massage jobs on the side. Investigators have also seized their mobile phones, which contain similar videos of other individuals.
“It appears the accused are habitual offenders and may have extorted several victims in the same manner. We urge anyone who has been targeted by these men to file a complaint at their local police station,” an officer said.
Rs 6L
Amount demanded by blackmailers
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