The "sextortion" racket was being run through a gay dating app (Representational)
With the arrest of six men, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a "sextortion" racket being run through a gay dating app in Kanpur, officials said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (west) Lakhan Singh Yadav said the accused created fake profiles on the gay dating app 'Blued'.
They engaged in friendly chats with the victims and after some time, take them out on a date. They would indulge in sexual activities and shoot naked videos of them, he said.
They would then rob them of their valuables and transfer money from their bank accounts through UPI using their phone by threatening to circulate the videos on social media, the officer said.
Talking to PTI over the phone, Mr Yadav said one of the victims approached the police, claiming that some people had recorded a nude video of him and were using it for blackmailing.
A case was registered at the Kalyanpur police station and a police investigation was launched that helped in busting the 'sextortion' gang, police said.
Those arrested were identified as Dileep alias Pradyumn Singh (21), Arun Rajpoot (22), Vipin Singh (21), Pawan Kumar Singh (22), Praveen Singh (20) and Brijendra Singh (19).
The police also seized five mobile phones, a laptop, nine ATM cards from various banks, and a police uniform during the arrests.