Maha: Man held for morphing Doctor's face in obscene video to extort money

Mumbai: A man from Rajasthan was arrested by the Crime Branch officers for allegedly morphing a doctor's face in an obscene video to extort money. He also threatened the doctor that he would make the video viral if the doctor failed to provide the money.

The doctor, who is 28-year-old, a resident of Ghatkopar, received a mysterious call on November 11, last year, from the accused, 19-year-old Arbaaz Khan. The accused contacted the doctor on WhatsApp through a video call at 10.30 pm. After the doctor answered the call, a naked woman appeared on the screen. Startled by the action, he immediately disconnected the call. 

The doctor received a text from an unknown number on WhatsApp a few minutes later. He was shocked to discover a video of his face morphed into a nude man's body. Following the video, the accused texted demanding cash from the doctor to prevent the video from going viral.

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In order to get a solution to the alleged threat, the doctor decided to share the incident with his friends, who advised him to inform the police about the matter. Instructions were also provided by the accused on how to transfer the cash through a digital wallet. The doctor then made a payment of Rs 20,200 in fear of losing his reputation.

Later, a complaint was lodged at the Pant Nagar police station against the unknown caller. Soon an FIR was filed by the police on November 14, last year. The Pant Nagar police informed Crime Branch Unit 7 about the incident.

After conducting a detailed investigation, the Crime Branch officers came to know about the accused by tracking the WhatsApp messages. The location showed Bharatpur, Rajasthan. Mahesh Tawde, the unit in charge, created a team led by inspector Niraj Ubale and comprising PSI Madhav Dhotre and constables Deepak Pawar and Rajendra Shinde and was sent to Bharatpur. The team was made as per the instruction of DCP (Detection 1) Sangramsingh Nishandar.

The team arrested Arbaaz Khan in Bharatpur and brought him to Mumbai on Saturday. He was produced in the holiday court on Sunday, which remanded him in police custody till September 22. When asked about the accused, a crime branch officer told mid-day, "The accused is unemployed. We are yet to obtain bank statements to determine the extent of his activities. The arrest will help crack other cases in the city as well as the state." Meanwhile, they are investigating the matter in dept to crack several other sextortion cases reported in the city and similarly capture them.

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