The shadow cast by illegal loan apps and digital loan sharks has once again fallen on Mumbai, with two cases of cyber blackmail and harassment being reported in the city. FIRs have been registered at the JJ Marg and Bandra police stations after two women alleged that unidentified loan app operators defamed and extorted them using morphed pornographic images.
According to police sources, in both cases, the complainants were falsely accused of borrowing money via mobile loan applications. When the women denied any such transactions, they were subjected to abusive recovery calls, followed by doctored, obscene photos featuring their faces being circulated to their contacts through WhatsApp and internet calls.
This alarming modus operandi reflects a resurgence of the predatory tactics that plagued the city between 2022 and 2023 when rogue loan apps granted microloans and resorted to digital extortion, public shaming, and blackmail for recovery.
After mid-day shed light on this modus operandi in a series, Maharashtra and Mumbai cyber police arrested racketeers operating from various Indian states, including foreign nationals. This newspaper’s correspondents even visited Nepal, found out the location of call centres and published them, after which the Nepal government arrested hundreds.
However, this time, cybercrime investigators warn of a more sinister twist: the women were targeted without even taking a loan.
Case 1
The first incident involves a 27-year-old tuition teacher who began receiving harassing loan recovery calls in May. The calls came not only from Indian numbers but also internet-based calls traced to Pakistan, police sources revealed.
Her husband told mid-day that the trouble began when their three-year-old daughter, while watching videos on a mobile phone, may have accidentally clicked on a suspicious link. Soon after, a message appeared stating that R5000 had been credited to the woman’s account. Since the couple didn’t recognise or verify the transaction, they ignored it.
The situation escalated when the victim’s husband received a threatening call from a so-called recovery agent. On checking the account, he found that Rs 2200 had indeed been received from an unknown source. The agents began harassing and abusing them over calls and demanded repayment. Out of fear, he paid Rs 4500 on May 10.
However, instead of stopping, the extortion intensified. The accused began sending morphed pornographic images of the victim to her WhatsApp, demanding more money. In a desperate attempt to avoid public shaming, the woman transferred a total of Rs 2,17,726.
Even after the payments, the harassment didn’t stop. The accused created multiple WhatsApp groups, circulated the morphed images with her mobile number, and sent them to her entire contact list, including relatives and colleagues. The victim also began receiving relentless phone calls. Eventually, the family filed a police complaint at the JJ Marg police station.
Case 2
In this case, a 27-year-old dancer approached the Bandra police station, alleging similar harassment.
Police sources said the victim had been receiving continuous recovery calls for the past several days. The agents demanded R40,000, threatening to ruin her reputation by sharing a morphed obscene photo with all her contacts. She was sent a fake image as a warning, followed by verbal threats that it would be circulated if she didn’t comply.
Fearing public embarrassment, the woman filed a formal complaint. A police officer from Bandra confirmed the case and said, “An FIR has been registered and further investigation is underway.”
Police sources suspect that international cybercrime syndicates, including those based in Pakistan and Southeast Asia, may be behind the attacks. The use of AI-generated nudes, internet-based calls, and mass messaging tactics suggests a more evolved form of the illegal loan app menace. The police have advised the public to avoid clicking on suspicious links, especially from unknown sources, and to never share personal or financial details with unverified apps.
Rs 2,17,726
Amount teacher paid extortionists
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