Representative image of arrest.
Credit: iStock Photo
An employee of a lodge in Bommanahalli was arrested for sextorting a male customer by posing as a woman and threatening to share intimate photos online, police officials said on Friday.
The 27-year-old Davanagere native, Narahari, worked as a room boy at the lodge.
He allegedly created a fake identity under the name 'Anitha' and befriended the victim after obtaining his contact information once he checked out of the lodge. Gaining trust over time, he began sexting the victim and ultimately obtained compromising photos via WhatsApp.
"The suspect then morphed the victim’s photograph and threatened to leak it on social media,” Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda said. "The suspect forced the victim to transfer Rs 1.10 lakh to his and his friends’ bank accounts."
A complaint was filed at the North Cyber Economic and Narcotics Crime (CEN) police station on November 1, 2023.
Cybercrime investigators tracked the extorted funds withdrawn from ATMs and spent by Narahari, providing crucial leads. Additional technical data bolstered the case, ultimately leading to the suspect's arrest. Police also seized the mobile phone allegedly used in the crime.