The dark world of sextortion is rapidly spreading its tentacles in Gujarat as the state reported a whopping 85% rise in such calls in just a year, from 2022 to 2023.
The state police had recorded 5,190 sextortion calls in the year 2022 and in 2023 the figure rose steeply to 9,593 calls. In January till date, as many as 386 calls have already been recorded at the helpline number 1930 of CID crime cyber cell.
The disturbing figure has become a matter of grave concern for the state top cops. Recently, a 15-year-old class 10 student committed suicide. The boy got trapped in a sextortion racket and succumbed to the pressure of constant threat calls and blackmails.
City Police Chief GS Malik expressed deep concern over the incident, emphasizing the gravity of a teenager’s suicide. “This is a serious matter. The local police and city cybercrime unit are working together to apprehend the criminals. Despite the numbers used for the calls are currently inactive, we are determined to uncover every detail to bring the culprits to justice.”
A senior police official revealed the sextortionists’ method: initially engaging the teenager with a girl disrobing on a video call, then convincing him to do the same. The call gets recorded and used for blackmail. “The teenager is caught in this trap,” the officer said.
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