Digital Blackmail Ring Busted in Nashik

In Nashik, Maharashtra, four individuals have been taken into custody for allegedly swiping a tablet from a senior citizen and scheming to extort Rs 12 lakh from him. The group threatened to post his private photos and videos online unless their demands were met, authorities reported on Friday.

The culprits accessed sensitive material stored on the stolen device from the victim's Satpur office. They proceeded to blackmail the victim, coercing him to prevent the spread of incriminating files unless he moved forward with payments, police officials explained.

After the complainant, who initially paid Rs 10,000, informed the Satpur police, the city police deployed teams to capture the suspects on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway. The accused have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and further investigations are in progress to determine if they have prior offenses.