Mumbai cops nab student from Delhi for extorting money through ‘loan apps’

According to police officials, Saini is a resident of Dariyapur Kalan in New Delhi. The police said he stays with his family there and his father is working with a private company. Saini is a first year Bachelor of Arts student.

An officer said, “In mid-July, a case was registered by a businesswoman as she alleged that someone was demanding money from her by threatening to send her morphed picture.”

The police said that on June 25, the woman downloaded a Daily Loan application on her mobile and took a loan.

The complainant was in the lookout for more money but she managed to get only Rs 5,600 from the app. “While registering on the app, the scamsters take access to all your applications and other things on the borrower’s mobile phone, following which they take pictures from the phone and extort money by morphing them,” said an officer.

Accordingly, Saini and his accomplice took access to her mobile phone and soon after the loan amount was deposited in her account, they started calling and threatening her. “The accused initially sent her a morphed picture and threatened to send them to her relatives and friends. The scamsters threatened to embarrass her in public,” the officer said.

However, in order to avoid doing so, the police said they initially demanded Rs 10,000 from her. She went on to pay the amount.

But still Saini and his accomplices contacted her again and threatened her. He subsequently demanded another Rs 2,500 and the complainant transferred it.

“Despite sending the money, they sent a few morphed pictures to her relatives and demanded more money,” said an officer. “The woman was tired of it after which she approached the police station and lodged a complaint in mid-July,” he said.

The police said a case under sections 420 (cheating), 419 (cheating by impersonation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 66 (D) and 67 (A) of IT act was registered at VP Road police station.

A cyber team headed by sub-inspector Rahul Patil started scrutinising the call data record and bank account details on which the amount was deposited after which the accused was traced in New Delhi and he was subsequently arrested.

An officer said, “We have learnt that the accused has a habit of playing PUBG game. So in one instance he came across the group of scamsters while playing the game and they offered him to join them.”

The money earned through fraudulent means were deposited in his bank account. “We have learnt that he has been part of the crime for the past few months and he has been doing it to get some extra pocket money. We are trying to identify more victims as we can see that there are money from several other accounts deposited in his account,” the officer said. The accused was produced before court and remanded in police custody.