Two men were arrested for allegedly making “sextortion calls” to Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Food Processing Industries, Prahlad Singh Patel earlier this month.
The two were arrested by the Delhi Police from Bharatpur in Rajasthan. The police said that the accused were a part of an organised “sextortion” racket.
“After registering an FIR, we have arrested two men, Md Wakeel and Md Sahib. The mastermind, Md Sabir, is still absconding and a hunt is on to nab him,” an officer said.
According to the police, “sextortion” calls usually involve blackmail with the threat of making public recording of a phone/video call of sexual nature.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Patel said, “I registered the complaint, through my office, immediately after the incident took place,” he said, adding that he got the call when he was visiting his village in Madhya Pradesh. “Call mere number par aaya tha (I got the call on my phone),” he said.
The complaint was registered by Patel’s Personal Secretary Alok Mohan. According to the complaint, Patel received a Whatsapp call in which the caller threatened to release his video clip on social media.
An FIR is registered under Sections 420 (cheating) and 419 (impersonation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“Police recovered one of the cell phones from which the video call was made and sent it for forensic examination,” said an officer.