A trader from Kolkata’s port area lost Rs 1,45,520 after cybercriminals allegedly used an Instagram sextortion scheme and posed as Maharashtra Police officers to threaten him with a fictitious “digital arrest”. A case was registered at Garden Reach police station on Wednesday, according to police cited by the Times of India.
Police said the gang first contacted the trader through an Instagram video call and displayed explicit adult content. The callers allegedly persuaded him to undress on camera and obtained his mobile number. The same group then reportedly contacted him again, claiming that he had been placed under “digital arrest” because of an explicit video recording.
Fearing legal action, the trader agreed to settle the matter and transferred Rs 1,45,520 through multiple online transactions, police said. The report did not specify how many accounts or payment channels were used in the transfers.
Investigators are examining the transactions and the communications used by the alleged fraudsters. Police said the case was filed at Garden Reach police station after the trader reported the incident. The report did not provide details of any arrests or identify the suspects.
Officers reiterated that “digital arrest” is not a legal procedure. No person can be arrested through a video call, telephone call or text message, police said. The warning addresses a fraud technique in which callers impersonate police officers or other officials and use threats of criminal proceedings to pressure victims into making payments.
The case involved two linked elements: the alleged recording of the trader during an Instagram interaction and the subsequent threat based on that recording. Police said the callers used the recording to create the impression that the trader faced legal consequences and needed to pay money to avoid them.
The incident adds to the range of cybercrime complaints involving social-media contact, impersonation and coercive payment demands. In this case, the alleged offenders presented themselves as Maharashtra Police officers even though the victim was from Kolkata. The report did not state whether the callers were located in Maharashtra or whether the impersonation was connected to any actual police unit.
Police advised residents to treat demands for immediate payment, threats delivered through calls or messages, and claims of arrest over video platforms as warning signs. Any such communication should be reported to law-enforcement agencies rather than answered with a payment. The Garden Reach police investigation remains underway.
