Mumbai: Jobless man sextorts dozen housing society neighbours – Times of India

MUMBAI: A dozen residents of a plush housing complex in Borivli were targeted in a sextortion case by an individual who contacted them on Facebook posing as a woman. The person sent obscene images to them and threatened to circulate screenshots of the conversations. A police investigation revealed the accused was a man living in the same building and looking to earn a quick buck as he was unemployed, reports Nitasha Natu.
“The residents were being harassed for two months but they were too scared to approach us until now,” said senior inspector Anil Avhad, Kasturba Marg police.
In May, a 52-year-old resident received a Facebook friend request from an account that had the display picture of a woman living in his building. He accepted the request. The “woman” asked him how he was and that he wasn’t seen often in the complex. As days passed, she started sending him intimate messages and pictures, and later threatened to circulate the screenshots among his family members if he didn’t pay up. He paid Rs 12,000.
Some 10-12 others received friend requests from the same account and were blackmailed in a similar manner.
Woman goes to police as photo used for sextortion
A Borivli woman approached police after learning that her photo was being misused as a Facebook display picture in a sextortion case to target some residents of her housing society.
One of the targets was a 52-year-old man. On July 30, the resident who had already paid up was given dire threats that his child would be harmed if he did not shell out another Rs 10,000. In the meantime, the woman was alerted by her neighbours and was shown the obscene conversations on Facebook. She approached the police along with the 52-year-old man and an FIR was lodged.
“We laid a trap where the accused was to pick up the money. Our officers placed an envelope under the rear wheels of a car to lure him into picking it up. He was caught red-handed and identified as Sushant Talashilkar, 29. He was arrested on Sunday on charges of extortion and provisions of IT Act,” said Avhad.