Cuttack: The Commissionerate Police on Sunday arrested a Nigerian national from Delhi on charges of blackmailing and extorting money from a woman doctor of Odisha’s Cuttack city.
According to sources, the foreign national had allegedly obtained some obscene photographs of the individual and used them to extort lakhs of rupees from her. The woman allegedly ended her life as the accused kept demanding for more money and threatened to leak the explicit content online.
Her family members lodged a complaint with Daraghabazar police on March 1, leading to an extensive investigation.
THE INVESTIGATION
“In the suicide note, the victim had jotted down some international and domestic WhatApp numbers. She had also mentioned that some persons had cunningly obtained her private photographs and were blackmailing her. She ended her life unable to bear the psychological trauma and social stigma attached to it,” Cuttack DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo told a presser.
The DCP said that Cyber Cell analysed the numbers. “The investigation led us to log in details and the mobile number used for operating the account. It helped us trace the location of the accused to Uttam Nagar and Palam areas in Delhi. Accordingly a police team, including ACP Zone 1 and IIC of Daraghabazar, left for Delhi and with help of local police, apprehended the accused on March 21 and brought him here on transit remand. Initially he identified himself as a citizen of Ivory Coast, but later it was revealed that he was a Nigerian national. We are verifying his passport to ascertain his identity,” he said.
Dnyandeo identified the accused as Djedje Raymond alias Chijioke John Okoye (31) as per the preliminary investigation. A laptop, five mobile phones, 8 SIM cards, including some registered in the United Kingdom, and one passport issued by the “République de Côte d’Ivoire were recovered from him. “About 3000 screenshots of Facebook profiles of individuals were found in the mobile phones. A technical analysis of his laptop, which he used for chatting with the victims by covering the camera with a black cloth, is being conducted. His bank account details will also be analysed,” he said.
MODUS OPERANDI
Elaborating on the modus operandi, the DCP said that the accused analysed profiles of doctors and engineers on Facebook and sent friendship requests targeting women, by creating fake accounts of prominent doctors and impersonating them. “Once accepted, he would initiate conversation with them and try to gain their trust and later collect their WhatsApp number. He would chat with them using local numbers. The accused also shared some obscene images of people, whose identity he stole to start the conversation, and then obtained private images from the victims, which he later used to blackmail them and extort money using some international numbers,” he said.
Dnyandeo further stated that the accused had also extorted money from some New Zealand nationals using the same ploy.
WORD OF CAUTION
The DCP warned people against falling into such traps. “Avoid entertaining strangers by accepting their requests on different social media platforms. During an online interaction or chat, if the person on the other side is trying to rush through the things and develop intimacy, then it is a cause of alarm. Keep your profile private and don’t share your private pictures with anyone no matter how close that person is with you. ,” he said.
“If you are a victim of such a trap, do not be stigmatised, instead come forward and report the matter at any nearest police station. You can also call 1930 helpline. We will keep your identity secret and take action against such culprits,” he added.
