New Delhi [India], February 25: A 27-year-old man posing as “Rahul Sharma,” a YouTube employee, was arrested in connection with a widespread sextortion scheme. The accused, who also impersonated a Delhi Police officer, blackmailed hundreds of victims by threatening to release their private videos on social media unless they paid large sums of money.
According to a release from the Delhi Crime Branch, the accused would pose as “Rahul Sharma,” a supposed YouTube employee, and later as “Inspector Surender” from Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime unit. He blackmailed victims by threatening to upload their private videos recorded during WhatsApp video calls. His criminal activities were conducted under the guise of working for a gang led by Sandeep Aggarwal, who was arrested earlier.
The Crime Branch’s investigation into the matter began after an FIR (No. 281/2022) was registered on November 30, 2022. A complainant reported that he had received a call from someone claiming to be a YouTube employee named Rahul Sharma. The caller threatened to release an objectionable video and demanded money to prevent its public exposure. Initially, the complainant transferred Rs 3.61 lakh, but the extortion continued, leading him to send an additional Rs 25 lakh.
The inquiry revealed that the cybercriminals had befriended the complainant on social media, obtained compromising photos and videos, and then used them to blackmail him. Investigations further traced the location of the accused to Yamuna Nagar, Haryana, where he was arrested following a series of raids conducted in Haryana and Rajasthan.
During his interrogation, the accused, identified as Shahid, revealed that he had completed only the third grade in school and struggled to support his family as a farmer. Shahid disclosed that in 2022, he came into contact with a man named Wasim from Jaipur, Rajasthan, who was involved with a sextortion gang led by Majid. Seeking financial gain, Shahid joined the group and began his criminal activities, using multiple false identities to extort money from victims.
The Crime Branch has emphasized that sextortion, a form of online extortion where cybercriminals record compromising videos of unsuspecting victims, has become a notorious crime. These criminals often assume fake identities, such as social media employees or police officers, to threaten victims with the release of the videos. Many victims have lost significant amounts of money, sometimes up to lakhs of rupees.
The investigation is ongoing, and the authorities are working to arrest the remaining members of the sextortion gang.