In a shocking case of digital blackmail, the Ahmedabad Cybercrime police have arrested two individuals, including a prominent political figure, for allegedly attempting to extort a staggering Rs 10 crore from a city-based businessman by threatening to leak an explicit video.
The Sextortion Trap and Political Link
The nightmare for the 50-year-old complainant began as a private relationship. According to the First Information Report (FIR), a woman identified as Shreya (name changed) initiated contact with him. She allegedly drew him into a relationship and then covertly recorded explicit visuals without his knowledge or consent.
The plot thickened when the recorded material was weaponized. The accused, identified as Ashwin Chauhan (39) and Shreya, sent the video to the businessman via WhatsApp. Chauhan is no ordinary citizen; he serves as the Gujarat state vice-president of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and is also the editor of a daily newspaper. Shreya is engaged in nail art, mehendi, and imitation jewellery work in Ahmedabad.
From Rs 10 Crore Demand to Police Intervention
The FIR states that the duo threatened to circulate the video widely on social media and even publish it in a newspaper if the victim did not comply. Their initial demand was an astronomical Rs 10 crore. When the businessman resisted, the accused allegedly reduced the amount to Rs 7 crore, issuing a harsh 24-hour ultimatum to arrange the money or face public humiliation and exposure.
Faced with this dire choice, the victim approached the authorities. The cybercrime branch took cognizance and registered a formal case. The charges are severe, including sections for extortion and criminal intimidation under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, along with Section 66(e) of the Information Technology Act pertaining to voyeurism.
Technical Trail Leads to Arrests
Investigators cracked the case using a combination of technical surveillance, call detail analysis, and digital trail examination. This meticulous probe led them directly to the suspects. The police arrested both accused on Friday and seized the electronic devices allegedly used to record and transmit the compromising video.
Officials have confirmed that further interrogation is underway. A key focus of the investigation is to ascertain whether Chauhan and Shreya were involved in similar sextortion cases or if there are more victims who have yet to come forward.
This high-profile arrest underscores the growing menace of digitally-facilitated blackmail and the audacious lengths to which perpetrators will go, even leveraging political and media connections to amplify their threats.
