Chandauli: A man who allegedly fell victim to fraud in the escort service business went on to form a blackmailing gang to target women associated with the same trade, police said. In a joint operation, the Mughalsarai Kotwali police and cyber cell arrested four members of the alleged gang. The arrested accused include alleged gang leader Vijay Kumar Gupta alias Rocky, his wife Anjali Gupta, his brother and another associate. According to police, the gang contacted women online, lured them to a house in Dahiya on the pretext of providing jobs or accommodation, and allegedly held them captive. The victims were allegedly assaulted and forced to record obscene videos. The accused then allegedly threatened to circulate the videos and demanded money from the women and their families.
Police had been receiving complaints through Dial 112 and the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal alleging that women were being called to Chandauli on the pretext of providing jobs or accommodation, held captive and threatened by people posing as police personnel. During the investigation, police and the cyber cell uncovered the alleged organised gang. Police said at least six women have so far been identified as victims of the alleged racket.
Two Complaints Exposed the Gang’s Modus Operandi
On August 27, a woman approached Mughalsarai Kotwali and alleged that she had been taken from Ramnagar to a house in Dahiya on May 14 on the promise of getting her a job. Several people were present at the house, including a woman who allegedly claimed to be a Central Bureau of Investigation officer. The victim alleged that she was assaulted and subjected to inappropriate behaviour. A video of her with a man was allegedly recorded, after which she was threatened with its circulation among her family members and money was demanded.
According to police, the woman was held captive for nearly two days. During this period, her family was allegedly forced to send around ₹30,000. The accused also allegedly took control of her mobile phone and transferred around ₹75,000 through PhonePe. She was released after the money was obtained.
In another complaint, a woman said she had contacted the accused online on August 16 while looking for accommodation. She was allegedly taken from Ramnagar crossing to the same house in Dahiya. The woman alleged that three men and a woman confined her inside a room and forced her to remove her clothes before recording a video. The accused allegedly demanded ₹500,000, threatening to make the video public.
When she resisted, the accused allegedly assaulted and abused her. They reportedly took her mobile phone, contacted her husband and demanded money. Around ₹114,000 was allegedly transferred from her bank account through UPI. The woman managed to escape from the house at night by crossing adjoining rooftops.
Revenge Plan Allegedly Began After Fraud in 2023
During the investigation, police found that Vijay Kumar Gupta alias Rocky, a resident of Semra village in the Shankargarh area of Prayagraj, had previously operated an online escort service through a website. Police said that after allegedly being cheated by a woman associated with the escort business in 2023, Vijay developed a plan to target women involved in the trade.
He allegedly formed a gang with his associates. The members would pose as customers and contact women associated with escort services online before calling them to the house in Dahiya. Police allege that the women were then confined, threatened and assaulted, while obscene videos were recorded without their consent. The videos were subsequently allegedly used to blackmail the victims and their families for money.
Wife Allegedly Posed as CBI Officer
According to police, Vijay’s wife, Anjali Gupta, played an active role in the alleged gang. She allegedly posed as a CBI officer to intimidate the women. Police also suspect her involvement in the use of forged identity documents and the handling of bank accounts allegedly linked to ransom payments.
Vishambhar Vishwakarma allegedly contacted women online and brought them from Ramnagar crossing to the house in Dahiya. Other members of the alleged gang would then confine the women and record videos. The accused allegedly contacted their family members through WhatsApp calls and demanded money.
Four Arrested After Raid at Dahiya House
While searching for the accused, a joint team of the police and cyber cell surrounded and raided a house in the Badhripuram Colony area of Dahiya on August 28. Police said three men and one woman were arrested from the spot. The complainants also identified the accused at the location, according to police.
Police recovered eight Android mobile phones, ₹72,300 in cash, nine ATM cards and five allegedly forged Aadhaar cards from the accused. Other recovered documents included PAN cards, driving licences, voter identity cards, labour cards and COVID cards. Police also seized passbooks and cheque books of Union Bank, Axis Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank, along with a portable Wi-Fi device, an alleged torture kit, a Pulsar motorcycle and a scooter.
Investigators are now examining the accused’s bank accounts, mobile phones and digital transactions. Police are also trying to determine how many women were targeted by the alleged gang and how much money was collected through blackmailing. The possible involvement of other members in the network is also being investigated.
About the author — Suvedita Nath is a science student with a growing interest in cybercrime and digital safety. She writes on online activity, cyber threats, and technology-driven risks. Her work focuses on clarity, accuracy, and public awareness.
