Gurgaon: A 58-year-old retired professional from Sector 54 allegedly lost Rs 6.3 crore over a span of 4 years in hundreds of transactions, in a well-organised cybercrime syndicate.He said he was threatened by fraudsters posing as airline crew members, lawyers and police officials over a period of four years who used forged documents and deepfake images and put him in a vicious circle of fear, to extort money.An FIR was registered at Sector 53 police station under sections 308(2) (extortion), 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), 356(2) (defamation) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS.The complainant said the ordeal began in May 2021, when he got connected to a woman named Kim, alias Prianka Sangm, on Facebook. She claimed to be an air hostess with Dubai-based Emirates Airlines. The two began chatting regularly, and the man was convinced of Kim’s genuineness, as she shared photographs from inside the aircraft and personal images to strengthen her false identity.Over time, they both exchanged several photos. She urged him to share photos of himself, his home and his daily life, and he followed, unaware that they were going to be used as tools to blackmail him to extort money.He said that soon after she started demanding money by sending him morphed images, forged chat screenshots and explicit content, threatening to circulate them publicly if payments were not made. The intimidation intensified with threats to contact his family members, colleagues and business associates.“They would send messages from different numbers if I used to block any of the previous numbers. I did not realise it was a scam until others started blackmailing me too,” he said in the complaint.As the extortion progressed, more people entered the picture. These included Yankee Sangma, who posed as the woman’s brother, Leena Sangma, who claimed to be an advocate practising in Meghalaya and Karan Varma, who introduced himself as a police officer attached to the Meghalaya chief minister’s security.The man alleged that he was repeatedly told the money would be returned, citing reasons such as pilot training fees, medical emergencies, surgeries, pregnancy-related complications, business ventures, insurance claims and the treatment of a premature child. Bank accounts were changed frequently, and payments were demanded in urgent tranches, often accompanied by threats of immediate public humiliation.The accused allegedly escalated threats after payments stopped, contacting the complainant’s wife, son and acquaintances on social media platforms, and issuing warnings of false criminal cases and public defamation. In one instance, a message was sent claiming that one of the accused committed suicide, with threats of implicating the complainant.The man said living in constant fear caused him severe psychological and physical distress. He suffered a brain stroke and paralysis and continues to battle chronic health conditions. Pressure and intimidation led to suicidal thoughts, prompting him to finally approach the police after taking his family into confidence.Officials said efforts are underway to trace the accused and identify the full network behind the operation. Bank accounts linked to the case are being examined for possible money laundering of funds
