A 28-year-old civil services aspirant, who failed to clear any exams despite multiple attempts, attempted extortion of Rs 10 lakh from by blackmailing them with a purported intimate video of them which he secretly recorded at their place in Durg district of Chhattisgarh.
The accused, identified as Vinay Kumar Sahu, had visited the couple's house early last month with the intention of burglary.However, instead of stealing anything, he changed his mind and recorded the couple's intimate moments using his mobile phone and used it later to extort money from them for not making their video public.
What did the police say?
According to Sub Divisional Officer of Police (Dhamdha) Sanjay Pundhir, the accused was arrested on June 25 based on a complaint lodged by the couple who reside at Ahiwara village located in the Nandini police station area.
"On June 17, the male victim complained to the police that he received a video clip on their WhatsApp from an unknown number that showed him and his wife in an intimate moment. The man also told the police that some unidentified person called him and demanded Rs 10 lakh for not releasing the clip on social media," he said.
Joint investigation underway
It has been notified that a joint team of Nandini police and Anti-Crime and Cyber Unit (ACCU) have been deployed to probe the matter.
"During his interrogation, Sahu told the police that he had burgled the couple's house twice earlier and he had sneaked in again on May 5 with the same intention. But instead of stealing something, he allegedly recorded the intimate moments of the couple on his phone. A few days later, he sent the video to the couple and started blackmailing them by demanding Rs 10 lakh for not making it viral," the official said.
About the accused
After a preliminary investigation, it has been revealed that Sahu is a resident of Ahiwara.
Following completion of his bachelor's in engineering, he was pursuing preparations for civil services and appeared for various exams. After several unsuccessful attempts, Sahu started stealing mobile phones and other articles in his own locality to meet his needs.
He has been booked under section 384 (punishment for extortion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the SDOP said, adding that further probe is underway.
