18-year-old woman in Maharashtra sextorted via Instagram video call and blackmailed with ₹18,000 ransom demand
Summary
An 18-year-old girl in Palghar, Maharashtra, was allegedly blackmailed and extorted for money after a man recorded her during an obscene video call via Instagram in September 2025. The accused, who initially posed as a man from Delhi working in London, later called her pretending to be a CBI officer and demanded ₹18,000, threatening to leak the video. The victim sent part of the money to an account provided by the accused, but the harassment continued as the video was sent to her family members to pressure her for more money. The MBVV Crime Branch traced the money trail to two men from Bhiwandi, Mohammad Shadab Ansari and Mohammad Taha Ansari, who were arrested. During interrogation, Taha Ansari admitted to converting part of the ransom into USDT cryptocurrency and sending it to a foreign contact named Waqas Khan. A case was registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act.
Incident Details
Who Was Affected
Sources
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