100 fake profiles, 2000 pics used to blackmail women

Jabalpur: A catfish who lured women into relationships online and threatened and extorted money was arrested by Jabalpur Police from Nagpur on a complaint by two women from Bargi. Police seized a pen drive, fake SIM cards, and an OTG device from his possession.The pen drive has pictures, screenshots and about 2000 objectionable videos of several women, police said on Monday. The accused, identified as Sahil Vishwakarma,25, was later sent to judicial custody, and police are preparing to seek his remand for further questioning.The accused allegedly created about 100 fake profiles on Instagram to befriend women and later blackmail them. Bargi police station in-charge Nilesh Dohare said, "The accused created more than 100 fake IDs on Instagram in the names of boys and girls. He used to chat with girls, trap them in his love trap, and then blackmail them by threatening to make their objectionable photos viral," he told TOI.Investigating officer Sarita Patel said, "The accused blackmailed two girls from Bargi and extorted Rs 50,000 from one and Rs 10,000 from another," she told TOI.Police said the accused, a graduate who worked in marketing, used fake identities to gain the trust of victims. He would lure them into sharing private content and later threaten them to extort money.He admitted to threatening victims and, in some cases, calling them to meet if they refused to pay, said cops. Police said more victims are likely to come forward as the investigation progresses, though many have so far refrained from filing complaints due to social stigma.