Fake Profile, Naked Videos: Sextortion Racket Running On Gay Dating App Busted In UP’s Kanpur, 6 Held

The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested six persons after busting a 'sextortion' racket that was being operated through a gay dating app in Kanpur.

Kanpur: The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested six men after they allegedly busted a “Sextortion” racket being run through a gay dating app operating in Kanpur. According to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Lakhan Singh Yadav, the accused used the gay dating app “Blued” to operate the fraud by creating fake accounts. They, reportedly engage in casual conversation with the victims and after some time, take them out on a date. They would indulge in sexual activities and shoot naked videos of them. They would then rob them of their valuables and transfer money from their bank accounts through UPI using their phone by threatening to circulate the videos on social media.

Talking to PTI over the phone, Yadav said one of the victims approached the police, claiming that some people had recorded a nude video of him and were using it for blackmailing. A case was registered at the Kalyanpur police station and a police investigation was launched that helped in busting the ’sextortion’ gang, police said.

A case was registered at the Kalyanpur Police Station and a police investigation was launched that helped in busting the ‘sextortion’ gang, police said. Those arrested were identified as Dileep alias Pradyumn Singh (21), Arun Rajpoot (22), Vipin Singh (21), Pawan Kumar Singh (22), Praveen Singh (20) and Brijendra Singh (19).

During the arrests, the police also seized a police uniform, a laptop, nine ATM cards from different banks, and five mobile phones.

Former Karnataka CM’s OSD Falls Prey to Sextortion

A 58-year-old man, who previously served as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) for a former Karnataka Chief Minister, recently fell victim to a sextortion, resulting in a loss of Rs 6.8 lakh. The victim, however, filed a formal complaint with the cybercrime police unit after he sought Bengaluru city police commissioner’s intervention in the matter.

According to a Times of India report, the victim shared a chilling narrative of blackmail and extortion. The sequence of events began when he started engaging in a video call from a guest house in Maharashtra’s Nashik on June 12. After the initial incident, as the perpetrators persistently demanded more money, the victim sought assistance from the Bengaluru city police commissioner. This led to the filing of a formal complaint with the cybercrime police unit.

The TOI report stated that the 58-year-old explained to the police that he initially dismissed the call as a mistake. However, around 1 pm on the following day, he received another call from an unfamiliar number. The caller identified himself as Mahendra Singh, claiming to be a reporter associated with a prominent national Hindi news channel. Singh alleged that a woman had filed a complaint against the victim, accusing him of initiating a video call and engaging in inappropriate behavior.

On July 18, the victim reported the matter to the cybercrime police in Bengaluru.

What is Sextortion?

Sextortion is a crime that involves blackmailing a victim. The extorter threatens to share images, videos, or information about the victim’s sexual preferences unless the victim pays up or engages in more sexual acts. Usually, the perpetrator will threaten to share the sexual content with the victim’s family, colleagues, friends, and other acquaintances. Alternatively, the content might be uploaded to a large (pornographic) online platform.

Generally, sextorters know how to invoke a great deal of fear in the victim. They might show the images or a screenshot of a specifically explicit conversation. Moreover, they often skim the victim’s social media accounts to find out about their family members and friends. In other words, they will let the victim know they can destroy their reputation (with their loved ones) at any moment — even though that’s often a lie.

When you get a sextortion email like this, keep these three rules in mind: Don’t pay the extorter anything, Don’t click on any links or attachments, Don’t engage with the sender.

Don’t Miss Out on the Latest Updates.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter Today!

Subscribe Now

Subscribe Now

Enroll for our free updates

Thank you