The Hyderabad City Cyber Crime Police and Detective Department have successfully arrested Riddh Bedi, a 26-year-old resident of Bengaluru, for his involvement in a serious sextortion scam targeting victims abroad. The accused used online dating platforms to manipulate victims into compromising situations, extorting money in the process.
According to Dara Kavitha, Deputy Commissioner of Police Cyber Crimes, the complainant reported that his son, a resident of California, USA, was blackmailed and extorted for Rs1,721 by the accused.
Bedi posed as a woman on a dating platform, luring the victim into sharing sensitive personal information and compromising photos. Once he had these, he threatened to expose the victim to his social circle unless a ransom was paid. The victim made several transactions to an Indian mobile number linked to bank accounts in HDFC, Kotak, and RBL banks.
When the victim stopped responding, Bedi escalated his threats by sending obscene messages to the victim’s family and workplace, further increasing the victim’s distress.
The accused, a former product designer, turned to online scams after losing his job, hoping to support his lavish lifestyle. Bedi, who had studied Mechanical Engineering in California, used stolen images of women to create fake profiles on dating websites like Seeking.com, attracting unsuspecting victims into sharing sensitive content. Once he obtained these compromising images, he blackmailed the victims, threatening to release them unless they sent money.
The funds were transferred from the victim in the US to India via platforms like Zelle, and routed to Bedi’s Indian bank accounts. To avoid detection, he used multiple phone numbers, email addresses, and social media profiles, taking steps to cover his tracks.
A dedicated team from the Cyber Crimes Police, led by Inspector P Pramod Kumar and SI Venkatadri , coordiWhitefield Police Station in Bengaluru, resulting in Bedi’s arrest.
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