BENGALURU: A 74-year-old retired government employee, who received a WhatsApp video call from a nude woman, lost Rs 35,000 to cybercriminals.
He was threatened with a criminal case and forced to pay.Prashanth (name changed), a resident of KHB Colony in Yelahanka New Town, filed a complaint with Yelahanka New Town police after the miscreants demanded Rs 4 lakh from him.On August 11 midnight, Prashanth received a WhatsApp video call.
He attended the call to find a woman posing nude.
A shocked Prashanth asked her who she was and as he didn't get a proper response, he disconnected the call and switched off his mobile phone.
After three days, he received a call from an unknown number.
The caller introduced himself as an officer from cybercrime, Delhi police.The caller told Prashanth that he had seen a woman nude in the video call and a case had been registered based on the complaint filed by her.
Prashanth tried explaining that he didn't make any phone call to the woman, but the caller claimed that he was recorded in the call.
To evade arrest, Prashanth was asked to pay Rs 11,500.
Later, the caller demanded Rs 23,000.
Prashanth transferred Rs 34,500 to the bank account provided by the caller.Prashanth told police that he thought that he won't be troubled over the issue again.
But he again received calls from the same number on Wednesday.
This time the caller informed him that the woman had killed herself.
She took the extreme step because he had seen her nude, the caller said, adding that Prashanth could be in more trouble.
The caller demanded Rs 4 lakh to drop the charges against him.
That's when Prashanth decided to approach police.
When Prashanth was at the station , the miscreant called him again and the officer at the station attended the call.
No more calls have come since.An officer said: "Such calls are rigged.
The woman on the call is actually a recorded video played automatically.
The fraudsters operate from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other states."Acting on Prashanth's complaint, police have registered a case under the Information Technology Act.