Delhi man held for using AI images to target women - The New Indian Express

A 30-year-old man was arrested in Delhi for allegedly blackmailing women through social media platforms by using AI-morphed images to extort money. The accused, identified as Sourav, had previously been involved in two other extortion cases.

What happened

The investigation began after a 19-year-old woman reported receiving threatening WhatsApp messages from an unknown contact. The perpetrator sent the victim a morphed image and demanded Rs 30,000 for its deletion, instructing her to communicate via a separate social media account under the alias 'Lakshay Garg.' Fearing the consequences, the victim's family transferred the funds via a QR-code-based payment.

Months later, in February, the accused contacted the victim again to demand additional funds. Following negotiations, the victim transferred another Rs 10,000 through a cyber cafe. The situation escalated when the accused pressured the victim to provide the contact details of other young women. When she refused, he intensified his threats, leading the victim to approach the police.

During the investigation, authorities gathered evidence linking the social media account used for the extortion to an email address belonging to the accused. Police traced Sourav to Bhalswa Dairy and arrested him on Thursday, according to DCP (North) Raja Banthia.