Bengaluru Man Loses Rs 4.6 Lakh in Sophisticated Sextortion Scam After Dating App Encounter
A 25-year-old data science online tutor from Bengaluru's Bellandur area has become the latest victim of a sophisticated sextortion scam, losing over Rs 4.6 lakh after cybercriminals secretly recorded an intimate video and used it to blackmail him. The case highlights the growing threat of romance rackets targeting vulnerable individuals seeking companionship through digital platforms.
From Dating App Hope to Financial Ruin
The victim, identified as Nayan (name changed), joined the dating app CSL several weeks ago with hopes of finding a partner. According to his police complaint, on January 25, he connected with a woman calling herself Madhavi. After exchanging messages and personal details, Nayan shared his mobile number, setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to significant financial and emotional distress.
Madhavi soon contacted him on WhatsApp and suggested meeting at a pub near Kudlu Gate Metro station. When Nayan arrived at the location, she insisted he make an online payment before meeting. Despite transferring Rs 20,490 after seeing her briefly, she disappeared with excuses, leaving Nayan waiting for over an hour before he returned home disappointed.
The Sextortion Trap Springs
Later, Nayan received a message on Instagram from someone with the profile name 'Aarohi', asking if he was looking for a date. Desperate for companionship, he responded and soon found himself on a video call where a woman appeared nude and spoke intimately. Following her instructions, he stripped, unaware that his visuals were being secretly recorded.
Moments after the call disconnected, Nayan received images showing him nude with his face clearly visible. Cybercriminals immediately began blackmailing him, threatening to circulate the compromising material among his family, friends, and social media contacts unless he paid substantial amounts of money.
Escalating Demands and Police Intervention
Panicking and fearing social embarrassment, Nayan pleaded with the fraudsters but ultimately transferred money in multiple instalments, losing Rs 4.6 lakh in total. When his funds ran out, the criminals escalated their threats, calling him repeatedly and even sending the images to some family members while threatening to make them go viral.
Distressed beyond measure, Nayan confided in a friend who immediately took him to the police on January 27. Even while at the police station, he continued to receive threatening calls from the fraudsters. Police advised him to contact the cybercrime helpline (1930) and attempted to freeze the bank account used by the criminals, but only Rs 20,000 remained as the money had already been transferred to multiple accounts and withdrawn.
Police Insights on Sextortion Tactics
A senior police officer explained that such cases fall under the infamous sextortion bracket, where fraudsters use various tactics to trap victims:
- Using AI-generated or pre-recorded nude videos of women as bait
- Luring victims into video calls to capture intimate visuals
- Sometimes making victims download remote access apps or malicious APK files to steal contact information
- Routing extorted money through multiple mule accounts for quick withdrawal
Another officer noted that the accused had already transferred the money to multiple accounts and withdrawn it after learning the victim was approaching police, demonstrating the sophisticated and rapid nature of these operations.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers lurking on dating platforms and social media, where criminals exploit human vulnerability for financial gain through carefully orchestrated psychological manipulation and technological deception.
