Bengaluru
Sajan, a 69-year-old resident near Whitefield, fell victim to an elaborate online scam, losing ₹1.7 lakh after a chance encounter with a stranger on Facebook. The retired private firm employee, whose identity remains confidential, reported the harrowing incident to the police. It all began innocuously when Sajan initiated a chat with a profile named Komal Sharma on the social media platform. However, things took a distressing turn on November 21 when Komal began bombarding Sajan with video calls. Initially, Sajan disconnected, but relenting to persistent calls, he finally answered one, only to be confronted with a shocking sight—a woman in the nude, speaking in a manner he described as disrespectful. Alarmed and uncomfortable, Sajan terminated the call and explicitly requested no further contact. Yet, the situation escalated as the woman, now armed with a recorded video of their interaction, resorted to threats. She demanded payment, threatening to upload the compromising video on social media if he refused. Despite blocking her on messenger, Sajan found himself targeted by two unidentified individuals, demanding a sum of ₹76,500 under the guise of preventing the video’s dissemination on YouTube. Fearing humiliation, Sajan complied. However, the extortion didn’t cease; another demand for ₹94,000 followed, leaving Sajan in a state of perpetual fear. Finally reaching a breaking point, Sajan reported the incidents to the authorities, prompting an investigation under the Indian Penal Code and Cyber Crime Prevention Act.
