In a serious case of cyber blackmail, a woman from Kalyanpur has alleged that fraudsters extorted nearly ₹15 lakh from her and, after her funds were exhausted, forced her into prostitution to continue paying them. Police have registered an FIR against a named woman and unidentified accomplices and launched an investigation.
According to the complainant, she first received messages from a fake Instagram account about three years ago. The accused gradually gained her trust through prolonged conversations. Nearly a year later, they re-established contact and claimed to possess her private photographs, threatening to make them viral unless she paid money. The initial demands were small—₹100 to ₹300—but gradually increased to thousands of rupees per month.
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Police said the victim sold family jewellery to meet the demands. When she ran out of money, the accused allegedly coerced her into prostitution and continued to collect the earnings. The extorted amount was transferred to a bank account in the name of a woman identified as Shraddha Katiyar. Investigators are examining bank transactions, mobile numbers and social media profiles, with the cyber cell assisting in the probe.
The station house officer said the allegations are grave and all angles are being investigated, including the possibility of an organised cyber extortion network and whether other victims were similarly targeted.
In a separate cyber fraud case in the Nazirabad area of the district, an elderly man lost ₹3.05 lakh from his bank account through 62 transactions despite not sharing any OTP or downloading an APK file. The victim said fraudsters had earlier tried to pressure him into installing an APK, but he blocked his debit card and restricted net banking access. Even so, the money was withdrawn the next morning from his pension account.
Police have registered cases in both incidents and are working with the cyber cell to trace the accounts and attempt recovery of the funds.
Cyber experts have advised users not to share personal information or private images with unknown individuals on social media and to report any blackmail attempts immediately to the police or the cyber helpline 1930.
Further investigation is underway to determine the scale of the network and identify additional victims.
About the author – Ayesha Aayat is a law student and contributor covering cybercrime, online frauds, and digital safety concerns. Her writing aims to raise awareness about evolving cyber threats and legal responses.
