2 men posing as journalist and police officer held in Jaipur for extortion | #cybercrime | #infosec

According to the police, the men targeted their victims by browsing dating websites and gigolo (male escort) services and would call them up for the service.

arrest-8 Police said the accused have committed over 200 crimes of similar nature in cities, including Delhi, Jaipur, Belgaum, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad through various dating websites and apps. (representational photo)

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The Gurgaon police Thursday arrested two men – one posing as a journalist and another as a police officer – for extorting money from people after threatening to charge them with cybercrime cases, said officials. They had earlier arrested their accomplice, Sunil, who posed as a driver during the crime. A car used in the crime has also been seized, they said.

The police have identified the arrested Mohit Kumar Tank, 29, who posed as a journalist, and Devkinandan, 37, who impersonated a police officer. During the interrogation, it was found that Mohit, a resident of Jaipur, used to work as a tourist guide. The police suspect the involvement of more people in the gang.

According to the police, on June 4, a man lodged a complaint that a person contacted him from a website and called him to Sector 39 for an “escort service”. “The complainant was allegedly made to sit in a car, and a man who introduced himself as a police officer threatened to send the person to jail for committing cybercrime. Later, another person posing as a senior police officer demanded Rs 1 lakh and threatened to send him to prison. The man transferred Rs 50,000 from his brother’s account,” said a police officer.

ACP (Crime) Varun Dahiya said that Sunil was arrested from Jaipur on June 5. The police said that the interrogation of Sunil led to the arrest of the other two men.

Explaining the modus operandi, the ACP said that the men targeted their victims by browsing dating websites and the gigolo (male escort) services on the internet and they would call them up for the service.

The fraudsters would locate the nearest police station in different cities, and Devkinandan would stand near the gate of the police station/outpost posing as a police officer once a trap is laid for the victim, he said.

“When the victim reached the spot, Mohit would introduce himself as a journalist and would threaten to send him to jail by saying that he had committed a cybercrime. Further, he would take the victims to the police station/outpost, where Devkinandan would be waiting,” ACP Dahiya said.

The police said that the fraudsters would stay in a city for a month and would move to another city after committing the crime.

During interrogation, it was found that Mohit, who has a good command of English, conducted sting operations in Mumbai along with a journalist a few years ago. “During the Covid-induced lockdown in 2020, he returned to Jaipur. Since then Mohit has been planning extortion activities with the help of Devkinandan and Sunil,” the officer said.

Police said the accused have committed over 200 crimes of similar nature in cities, including Delhi, Jaipur, Belgaum, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad through various dating websites and apps.

First published on: 17-06-2023 at 12:47 IST

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