A 26-year-old engineer from Bengaluru, Riddh Bedi, was arrested by the Hyderabad Cyber Crime Wing on Thursday for allegedly engaging in sextortion. Bedi targeted foreign nationals, befriending them on social media, gaining their trust, and coercing them into sharing private photos, which he later used for blackmail.
The police revealed that Bedi extorted money from his victims using online payment platforms like Zelle, commonly used in the US. In one instance, he scammed a California-based youth, extracting USD 1,721 before threatening the victim’s family and workplace when payments stopped.
Bedi, who studied in the US and became addicted to online gaming, turned to fraud after losing his job as a product designer. He lived in a luxury villa in Bengaluru and was apprehended with multiple electronic devices, now facing judicial custody.