Gang exploited victims using artificial intelligence and fake loans

New Delhi: Akshita, Jayshree, Pinki and Dimple led seemingly ordinary lives, but behind the facade, they allegedly harboured secrets that would shock their families and friends.
At work, they were telecallers who would ruthlessly target the vulnerable and the elderly by using artificial intelligence, trapping them into a vicious cycle of blackmail. Beyond office hours, the women donned an entirely different persona – a tightrope walk to balance their alleged illicit activities and their everyday lives.
Jayshree, a graduate from Alwar University, allegedly worked as a key player in a sextortion gang, using her charm to lure victims into compromising situations, police said.
"The racket comprised social media profile analysts, extortion callers and individuals impersonating police officers to intimidate victims with false legal threats unless they complied with extortion demands," said joint commissioner Surender Kumar.
These persons allegedly employed a deceitful method to lure and exploit victims. The modus operandi was to check profiles of prospective targets on social media and get them to chat.
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After establishing a connection, they would suddenly initiate video calls with AI-generated models, and the background voice was of a female.
"During interrogation by ACP Anil Sharma, they disclosed that they would initially send friend requests on Facebook and Instagram and obtain the victim's mobile number through Facebook Messenger. Subsequently, they would initiate a video call on WhatsApp, during which they would stream obscene clips, secretly recording the victim's screen and reactions using screen recording tools," said DCP (crime) Aditya Gautam.
The recorded content was then used to blackmail the victim under threats of publicly circulating the video on social media platforms, thereby coercing them into transferring money, said police.
The sextortion gang, allegedly led by Jahid (20), targeted victims through compromising videos, with Jayshree (24), a former SBI BPO employee, making calls and luring victims into compromising situations. Raheesh (21), Sohil (18) and Jaiveer (24) were also part of this module, cops said.
Another modus operandi of the call centre was to trap people by offering fake bank loans. Initially, the telecallers, under directions from Dilshad Ali, contacted potential victims, offering them attractive loan deals. Once they gained the victim's trust, the telecaller would request identification and other personal documents via WhatsApp.
The victim was then asked to make a payment through a QR code scanner under the pretext of file processing fees.
After the payment was received, the victim's follow-up messages and calls were ignored. The fraudsters would then switch off their mobile devices and change their contact numbers, effectively cutting off all communication.
At the heart of the operation were Ujjawal Pandey (30) and Gaurav Barua (24), who allegedly masterminded the racket. Pandey, owner of a cyber café in Krishna Nagar, began selling fake account kits and SIM cards while Barua, a graduate from Ignou, facilitated pre-activated account kit transactions, said police.
Their partnership enabled the smooth functioning of the scam, with Yug Sharma (18) allegedly assisting in supplying fake SIM cards and account kits.
Ali employed several telecallers, including Saurav (27), Pravesh (28), Akshita (18), Raunak (24), Dimple (20) and Pinki (24), to pose as loan service representatives and dupe customers into divulging sensitive information.
Another key player, Amit, owned the call centres and is absconding. He also supervised operations, cops said.

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