Six individuals have been apprehended by the Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday, marking a significant breakthrough in dismantling a “sextortion” network operating through a gay dating app in Kanpur, according to officials.
Lakhan Singh Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (west), revealed that the accused utilized fabricated profiles on the gay dating platform ‘Blued’ as part of their scheme. The modus operandi involved establishing friendly conversations with unsuspecting victims, progressing to arranging in-person meetings. During these encounters, explicit content was captured, including naked videos.
Following these interactions, the culprits resorted to robbery, confiscating personal belongings from the victims and subsequently extorting money. The coercion extended to threats of sharing the explicit videos on social media platforms, leveraging fear to manipulate victims into transferring funds from their bank accounts through UPI.
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Yadav shared with PTI that one victim stepped forward, reporting that he had fallen victim to a blackmail scheme where an intimate video was recorded without his consent. This incident led to the filing of a case at the Kalyanpur police station and the commencement of a comprehensive investigation that ultimately exposed the activities of the “sextortion” gang.
The apprehended suspects were identified as Dileep, also known as Pradyumn Singh (21), Arun Rajpoot (22), Vipin Singh (21), Pawan Kumar Singh (22), Praveen Singh (20), and Brijendra Singh (19). Alongside the arrests, law enforcement confiscated a range of evidence, including five mobile phones, a laptop, nine ATM cards from various banks, and even a police uniform.
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