Man Poses As Cop, Attempts To Extort Students At MP Women’s College; Probe Launched

Representational Image. (ANI)

Madhya Pradesh News: A man who claimed to be a policeman targeted several students of a women's college in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur, accusing them of uploading obscene photos and videos on social media. Speaking on the matter, a police official said on Friday that the man was extracting money from some of them. 

According to the police, the man, who identified himself as "police officer Vikram Goswami, is using artificial intelligence (AI) to create the photos and videos to target the students. 

Speaking to reporters, Jabalpur Superintendent of Police Aditya Pratap Singh said that over the past four days, dozens of students from Government Mankunwar Bai Women College in the Madhya Pradesh city have received calls and messages from the impostor threatening police action. 

The caller told the women that they had uploaded obscene pictures and videos on social media for which they would be prosecuted if they did not cough up money, he said. Two of the women have transferred Rs 2,000-3,000 to him. Police are also trying to determine how the accused got the numbers of the students'. 

How Did The Accused Threaten Students? 

According to the police official, the caller sent a link containing objectionable images and videos to the students’ mobile phones and threatened them with police cases for "sharing such sleazy clips on social media." He also told the students that a police team would visit their parents. 

College Management Alerted The Cops 

SP Singh said that the management of the college alerted the police after being informed by the students about the threat calls and messages 

He said that an FIR has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 318 (cheating) and Information Technology Act sections 66 (sending offensive messages through communication service, etc.) and 67 (publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form). 

According to the preliminary investigation, videos had been generated using the AI technology, Additional Superintendent of Police Sonakshi Saxena said. Police are also trying to find out how the mobile numbers of so many women students reached the caller, she said, adding that efforts are on to identify the fraudster.

(With PTI Inputs)