Hyderabad: A former techie was arrested by the Hyderabad cyber crime police in Brookefield, Bangalore for his involvement in scamming NRIs through dating apps. The accused posed as women to lure victims to send compromising photos and subsequently extorted money by blackmailing them.
The arrested, identified as Riddh Bedi, studied mechanical engineering in California and returned to India after living in the US for six years. According to the police he turned into an online scammer after losing his job.
The arrest followed a case in Hyderabad, where the complainant’s son, residing in California, was extorted USD 1,721 or Rs 1,43,975 to multiple Indian accounts operated by the accused. The accused had allegedly posed as a woman, by making a fake account on the online dating website Seeking.com, and lured the victim into sharing compromising images and sensitive personal information.
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The accused allegedly used the images of the victim to blackmail him, threatening to share these materials with his social circle, including family members and colleagues. Fearing humiliation, the victim paid the ransom demanded by the accused through money transfer applications used in the USA, such as Zelle.
After repeated extortion attempts, the victim began ignoring calls from the accused. In response, the accused escalated the situation by sharing sensitive images and information with the victim’s family and friends, increasing the pressure on the victim.
Hyderabad police have issued a public warning to be cautious of scammers and save yourselves by staying vigilant. The police also encourage you to report any instances of cyber fraud at 1930 or on their official website.
