New Delhi:
Throughout the day, he works as a recruiter at a personal firm in Uttar Pradesh’s Noida. At night time he turns right into a US-based mannequin on a soul-searching journey to India. His day job supplied him safety, and his nocturnal actions introduced within the cash by manipulation and blackmail. Tushar Singh Bisht, 23, was arrested from the Shakarpur space of East Delhi on Friday for defrauding over 700 ladies by posing as a mannequin on courting platforms.
A resident of Delhi, Tushar has a bachelor’s diploma in enterprise administration (BBA). For the previous three years, he had been employed as a technical recruiter at a personal firm in Noida.
His father works as a driver, his mom is a homemaker, and his sister is employed in Gurugram. Tushar, regardless of holding on to a secure job, descended into the world of cybercrime, largely motivated by greed and lust for ladies.
Modus Operandi
Utilizing a digital worldwide cell quantity procured by an app, Tushar created faux profiles on in style courting and social media platforms akin to Bumble and Snapchat. He posed as a US-based freelance mannequin visiting India, utilizing a fabricated persona with photographs and tales stolen from an precise Brazilian mannequin. His targets had been primarily ladies aged 18-30, whom he befriended by these platforms.
As soon as he gained their belief, Tushar would request their telephone numbers and intimate photographs or movies beneath the guise of friendship. Unbeknownst to his victims, he saved the visuals on his telephone. Initially, these actions had been carried out for private amusement, however over time, they advanced into a scientific scheme of extortion, police stated.
In keeping with the police, Tushar used these visuals to blackmail ladies into giving him cash. If a sufferer refused his calls for for cash, he would threaten to add their specific content material on-line or promote it on the darkish net.
The Victims
In keeping with police findings, Tushar engaged with greater than 500 ladies on Bumble and over 200 on Snapchat and WhatsApp. He collected a trove of intimate content material, which he used to blackmail his victims. One such case got here to mild when a second-year Delhi College pupil filed a grievance with the Cyber Police Station on December 13, 2024. Her ordeal started in January of the identical yr when she linked with Tushar on Bumble. He launched himself as a US-based mannequin and initiated a friendship that later transitioned to non-public chats on WhatsApp and Snapchat.
Throughout their exchanges, the sufferer shared private photographs and movies with him. When she requested to satisfy in particular person, he constantly prevented her beneath varied pretexts. Quickly after, he despatched her one in every of her personal movies and demanded cash, threatening to leak or promote the fabric if she didn’t comply. Initially, the scholar succumbed to the stress, paying a small quantity whereas explaining her monetary constraints as a pupil. Nonetheless, Tushar’s incessant calls for pushed her to open up to her household and lodge a proper grievance.
The Investigation
The Cyber Police Station of West Delhi shaped a workforce beneath the supervision of ACP Arvind Yadav. A mix of technical evaluation and intelligence gathering helped the workforce hint Tushar’s actions and establish him because the accused. A swift raid in Shakarpur led to his arrest.
Throughout the operation, the police recovered a cell phone containing incriminating information, a digital worldwide cell quantity linked to his prison actions, and 13 bank cards from varied banks. The police additionally retrieved over 60 WhatsApp chat information with ladies from Delhi and close by areas. Preliminary findings revealed that aside from the complainant, a minimum of 4 different ladies had been equally extorted by Tushar.
The investigation uncovered two financial institution accounts linked to Tushar. One account contained entries of funds made by his victims, whereas particulars of the second account are nonetheless beneath probe.