A 40-year-old priest who had registered on a matrimonial site was allegedly blackmailed and cheated by a man of ₹1 lakh. Acting on a complaint filed by the victim, the cybercrime police have taken up a case and are investigating.
In his complaint, the priest, V. Bhat, said he had registered himself on the site and sent out requests to other members. On February 17, he received a call from a man who introduced himself as a police officer posted at the Commissioner’s office. The caller claimed that one of the members on the site had attempted to kill herself and blamed him for it.
“The conman told the priest that the Mumbai police were coming to Bengaluru to conduct a detailed investigation. Later, the man again called Bhat and informed him that he had reached out to the Mumbai police and requested them to close the case. He demanded ₹10,000 from the priest, which the latter transferred to an account online,” said a police officer.
However, it did not end there. The conman started calling Bhat regularly and blackmailed him into transferring more money. In total, the victim transferred ₹1 lakh via several online transactions.
Worried, Bhat confided in his friends who advised him to contact the Bengaluru police. The police are tracking down the accused through the mobile phone he used and details of the bank account to which the money was wired.
