Delhi Police have apprehended a 23-year-old man, Tushar Bisht, accused of extorting money from over 700 women through social media platforms such as Bumble and Snapchat. Bisht, a resident of Delhi’s Shakarpur area, posed as a US-based freelance model and used photos of a Brazilian model to entrap unsuspecting victims in a massive online extortion racket.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer, Bisht operated fake profiles using virtual international mobile numbers to target women aged 18 to 30. By engaging in conversations and gaining their trust, he convinced the victims to share intimate photos and videos. Once he had the sensitive material, Bisht resorted to blackmail, threatening to release the content online or sell it on the dark web unless he was paid.
The extortion racket unraveled on December 13 when a Delhi University student filed a complaint. She recounted how Bisht, posing as a US-based model visiting India, connected with her on Bumble. Their conversations moved to Snapchat and WhatsApp, where he persuaded her to share private photos. When the victim hesitated to meet him in person, he escalated his demands, sending her a private video she had shared earlier and demanding money.
Despite making small payments, the victim could not meet his relentless demands, leading her to inform her family and file a police complaint.
Police arrested Bisht in Shakarpur and recovered incriminating evidence from his mobile phones, including 13 credit cards linked to different banks. During questioning, he admitted to possessing private content of several women and confessed to blackmailing them for financial gain.
“Initially, he engaged in such activities for amusement but later turned it into a calculated extortion scheme,” said DCP Vichitra Veer.
Bisht, a BBA graduate and technical recruiter at a private Noida-based firm for the past three years, hails from a middle-class family. His father works as a driver, his mother is a homemaker, and his sister is employed at a Gurugram company.
The police emphasized the importance of staying vigilant online, urging users to report suspicious activities promptly. The case highlights the need for stricter cyber laws and better awareness of online safety measures to protect individuals from such exploitation.
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