Surat, December 21: In a bizarre and distressing incident, a 32-year-old diamond worker fell victim to extortion after a seemingly innocuous WhatsApp call took a dark turn. It all began innocently enough when the diamond worker received a friendship request from one Puja Sharma on his Facebook page.

TOI reported that After accepting Puja Sharma’s request, the victim and Sharma engaged in conversations. They exchanged phone numbers and soon found themselves communicating on WhatsApp. It was during one of these video calls that the situation took a shocking twist. Nude Video of Woman Made Viral, Sent To Her Fiance by 'Social Media' Friend in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna, Three Arrested.

Sharma lured the unsuspecting diamond worker with an offer: “Get naked.” The victim, perhaps driven by curiosity or naivety, complied. But this seemingly harmless act would soon have severe consequences. Odisha Nude Video Case: Man Forces Woman to Strip Naked on Video Call, Threatens to Make Her Obscene Videos Viral.

Once the victim was undressed, Sharma abruptly disconnected the call. But the nightmare was far from over. Shortly afterward, the victim received a video of himself with Sharma from an unknown number. Panic set in as he realized the gravity of the situation.

The extortion began. A mysterious caller demanded money, threatening to expose the compromising video. Fearful and desperate, the victim complied, transferring Rs 5.65 lakh to the extortionist. But the demands didn’t stop there.

On August 14, a person posing as a police officer contacted the victim via video call. The ultimatum was clear: pay up or face public humiliation. The victim was coerced into believing that his video would be uploaded to YouTube unless he continued to comply.

As the threats persisted, the victim finally reached out to the Surat Cybercrime Police. An investigation ensued, leading to the identification of four suspects involved in the extortion racket.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2023 11:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).