The Delhi Police arrested two accused in connection with a case of extortion of Rs 35,000 in the Shahdara district, it said on Monday. The duo have been identified as Shyam Singh (21) and Mangal Singh (31).
Deependra Kumar Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, said a complaint was registered on the statement of Amit Kumar Kain, a resident of Loni Road, who alleged that he was duped of Rs 35,000 by the accused.
The victim, in his statement, said he created a profile on a dating app called ‘Quack Quack’ where he met a woman. They shared each other’s mobile numbers and started interacting. After a while, the woman recorded a video-call with him in nude with his face visible and demanded money from him in lieu of deleting the video. The complainant was forced to transfer Rs 35,000 to the bank account of the woman as she threatened to post the video on social media platforms.
Subsequently, as the woman started demanding more money, he approached the police and lodged a complaint on the NCRP portal.
With this information, the police registered a case and dispatched a team of cops inquire further, said the Addl. DCP.
During the investigation, the money trail led to the account in the Bandhan Bank opened by Shyam Singh in the names of Mangal Singh. However, the account was found to be operated by Shyam Singh, a resident of the Deeg District in Rajasthan.
With this clue, the police eventually got their hands on the accused, who later admitted that he opened multiple bank accounts using others’ identities in exchange for cash.
The Additional DCP said the operation led to the seizure of four mobile phones and three SIM cards linked to this case of extortion. Another co-conspirator, Aamir, who is currently under investigation, directed the flow of the extorted amounts through this account.
During further interrogation, Shyam confessed to have offered Mangal Singh Rs 10,000 to open the fraudulent bank account. Both the suspects are now in judicial custody, and digital forensics of the recovered devices is underway to identify more victims and uncover the full extent of the network.
Further investigation into this case is going on to ascertain if more people are involved in the crime, the officer stated.