Representative image of cyber scam.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: In an elaborate scam that unfolded over several months, a 26-year-old techie was swindled of Rs 65 lakh by his purported friend of 18 years and the friend's brother.
The incident surfaced on February 1, when Shankar Naik (name changed), a Shivamogga native and software engineer employed near the Vidhana Soudha, filed a police complaint. Naik works remotely, but for two days of the week.
On February 10, 2023, BTM Layout residents Bharat and his brother Akshay Kumar YB, who is Naik’s friend, approached him claiming that someone had gained access to Naik's private photographs and demanded Rs 12 lakh to prevent their public release.
“I was scared. I borrowed Rs 11.20 lakh and paid Kumar,” Naik told the police. “Kumar, Bharat and some others approached me again with the same claim. On April 25, 2023, I availed a personal loan from Kotak Mahindra Bank and gave them Rs 10 lakh."
Naik also borrowed from friends, his father and sister to pay them Rs 4 lakh and another Rs 8 lakh.
Naik said Kumar's friend, Kavitha, said Kumar took Rs 5 lakh from her claiming Naik was in trouble. “She told me that Kumar made her take a loan of Rs 5 lakh to pay the person who had my photographs. I borrowed Rs 5 lakh from one of my friends and repaid Kavitha.”
Kumar also allegedly contacted Naik’s sister. “Without my knowledge, he convinced my sister I was in trouble and made her transfer Rs 12.2 lakh to his friend Praveen’s bank account."
Before Naik could file a complaint, the accused contacted him one last time, managing to extract an additional Rs 15 lakh, saying person had also “scanned” his phone and trapped him.
In the whole episode that unfolded from February 10, 2023, to January 31, 2024, Naik trusted the duo as they were his friends, a police investigator told DH.
Accused detained
Authorities have detained the prime accused, Akshay Kumar, on February 2, with the arrest procedures set to commence shortly. A case has been registered at the Vidhana Soudha police, invoking sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 34 (common intention), 384 (extortion), and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.