Cops arrest mastermind behind nationwide ‘sextortion’ racket

New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested the mastermind behind a sextortion racket that targeted individuals across the country, the officials said on Thursday.

The accused has been identified as Mahendra Singh (36) a resident of Mathura (UP) was captured in Haryana’s Mewat after an investigation was initiated based on a complaint filed by a victim in Delhi.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) West Vichitra Veer said that the accused, Mahendra Singh, adopted a sinister modus operandi that involved initial contact with potential victims.

Posing as a woman willing to engage in intimate video calls, he would record compromising videos of the victims. After obtaining these videos, Mahendra would take on the persona of a police officer, using the name “ACP Ram Pandey,” to contact the victims.

Through menacing threats and coercion, he would then demand extortion money from the victims under the threat of releasing these compromising videos to the public.

In the case that prompted his arrest, a victim from Delhi was blackmailed and coerced into paying a substantial sum. Initially, Mahendra demanded Rs 9 lakh from the victim to delete the explicit video.

Despite the victim complying with this demand, he was later forced to pay an additional Rs 15 lakh to prevent further action on the case. Disturbingly, Mahendra even went so far as to threaten to send the victim’s family to jail if they failed to meet his demands, Veer mentioned.

The fear instilled by Mahendra’s threats led the victim to maintain silence initially, refraining from reporting the extortion.

However, several days later, the victim confided in a friend, who immediately encouraged him to report the matter to the police.

Promptly acting on the complaint, the Delhi Police initiated an investigation that spanned several days and eventually led to Mahendra’s arrest in Mewat, Veer confirmed.

During the arrest, law enforcement authorities discovered a range of incriminating items in Mahendra’s

possession. This included a swipe machine, a pen drive, a 16 GB memory card, and an iPhone, all of which were presumably used in the execution of his extortion scheme, the official said.

The investigation into Mahendra’s activities uncovered a disconcerting pattern. He had targeted several other victims using similar tactics.

Often, he would either assume the guise of ACP Ram Pandey or pose as a YouTuber, threatening to expose victims’ objectionable videos to the public if his demands were not met. Further investigation is underway, the official added.