Delhi Police have arrested three men from Rajasthan’s Mewar region for duping a Delhi resident of Rs14 lakh through a notorious digital arrest sextortion scam.
The accused, identified as Vasim (30), Javed (48), and Khalid, impersonated Crime Branch officials to threaten the victim with fabricated legal charges over manipulated explicit videos.
The victim reported to the Cyber Police Station that during a WhatsApp video call, an obscene video was played, coercing him to undress. This was secretly recorded. Soon after, the victim received explicit videos of himself along with threats claiming the woman in the video was a minor and that the police had tracked his phone.
Fearing arrest, the victim was forced to transfer money in four instalments—Rs1.5 lakh, Rs2.5 lakh, Rs4 lakh, and Rs6 lakh—totaling Rs14 lakh.
Investigations traced the transactions to Mewat in Rajasthan. Police raids in the Deeg district led to the arrest of Vasim and Javed. During interrogation, Vasim revealed Khalid orchestrated the scam and posed as a Crime Branch officer. Khalid was later arrested.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said, “The accused exploited the victim’s fear of legal consequences to extort money.”
All three are booked under applicable sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act. Authorities are probing if they were involved in other such scams.
This case underscores the rising menace of digital arrest scams where fraudsters manipulate victims with fake legal threats to extort money. Police urge the public to remain cautious and report suspicious activity via helpline 1930 or the National Cybercrime Portal.
