According to the police, the accused gained access to private data after stealing the gadget from the victim's office in Satpur a few days ago and allegedly used objectionable videos and photos found on the device to blackmail the complainant, threatening to make the files viral unless he paid them Rs 12 lakh, an official said
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Four persons have been arrested in Maharashtra's Nashik for allegedly stealing a tablet from a senior citizen and attempting to extort Rs 12 lakh by threatening to leak his private photographs and videos on social media, police said on Friday, reported news agency PTI.
According to the police, the accused gained access to private data after stealing the gadget from the victim's office in Satpur a few days ago and allegedly used objectionable videos and photos found on the device to blackmail the complainant, threatening to make the files viral unless he paid them Rs 12 lakh, an official said, reported PTI.
He said that the complainant approached the Satpur police and informed them about his plight, stating that he had already paid the accused Rs 10,000 some days ago and was to hand over Rs 50,000 on Thursday evening.
The city police formed two teams and apprehended the suspects from the Adgaon Shivar area on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway, the official said.
The accused, Akash Pundlik Bakre, Prakash Ramdas Panpatil, Suraj Sunil Gawai and Shreepat Bhimrao Shinde, have been booked under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further probe is underway to find out if they have been involved in similar offences earlier, reported PTI.
Beed man duped of Rs 23.42 lakh in 'digital arrest' fraud; three held
In another case, three persons, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly duping a man of Rs 23.42 lakh by threatening him with 'digital arrest' in Maharashtra's Beed district, police said on Friday, reported PTI.
The police recently arrested the accused, Prasann Ajay Kasat (31), his wife, Swati (26), and their aide, Sanket Deepak Beldar (22), from Jalgaon in connection with the fraud, an official said, reported PTI.
According to the police, the trio allegedly posed as police officials and threatened to place the victim, Suryakant Munde, a resident of Parli Vaijnath, under digital arrest to extort money from him.
Investigations revealed that the fraudsters duped the victim of Rs 23.42 lakh and diverted the money to their bank accounts, they said, reported PTI.
The police traced the accused based on technical analysis, seized Rs 3 lakh cash from them and froze their bank accounts, the official said, adding that further investigation is underway to identify other members of their gang involved in the racket.
(With inputs from PTI)
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