A 34-year-old woman working as a private employee has filed a complaint with the Cyber Crime police in Hyderabad, alleging extortion, criminal intimidation, and harassment by operators of two loan applications. The accused extorted over Rs 9 lakh from the victim. Based on her complaint, a case was registered on Friday.
How the Fraud Unfolded
The victim, a resident of Ram Nagar, stated that on January 22, she clicked on a link in a WhatsApp message and installed an application named 'jaldi_credit_210.apk'. After entering her personal details, Aadhaar information, and bank account details to check her loan eligibility, she started receiving messages from January 28 demanding repayment of a Rs 20,000 loan.
Initial Loan and Threats
The agents of the app informed her that they had initially credited Rs 9,600 into her bank account and demanded that she pay Rs 20,000 within a week. Upon checking her bank account, the victim realized that, despite not applying for any loan, Rs 9,600 had been deposited. When the callers threatened to circulate morphed nude photos of her among her contacts if she refused to repay, she gave in to their demands and paid Rs 20,000 through multiple transactions.
Second App and Escalation
The victim told the police that the accused also forced her to install a second app named 'cashloan_1.0.2.apk'. Over the next three months, the gang coerced her into transferring over Rs 9.05 lakh from her two bank accounts through hundreds of small UPI transactions routed to dozens of beneficiaries. 'Out of extreme fear and pressure, I borrowed money from my friends, colleagues, and even mortgaged my gold ornaments to make further payments. In total, I paid Rs 9.05 lakh,' the victim said.
Morphed Photos Sent to Family
When she finally told the fraudsters that she could not pay any more, they sent her a morphed nude photograph of a woman with her face and shared similar obscene images with her husband and father.
Legal Action Taken
Based on the victim's complaint, the Hyderabad Cyber Crime police registered a case under Sections 66C, 66D, and 67A of the IT Act and Sections 308(2) (Extortion), 318(4) (Cheating), 319(2) (Cheating by personation), and 79 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
