Ahmedabad, May 25 (IANS) The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Branch on Monday arrested another member of an inter-state gang accused of blackmailing and extorting victims through fake astrology and “kinnar guruma” profiles on Instagram, with investigators uncovering transactions worth nearly Rs 60 lakh linked to the accused over the last two years.

The latest accused, Vikas Bhargav, a resident of the Gangashahar area of Bikaner, Rajasthan, was arrested in Jaipur and brought to Ahmedabad.

He was produced before a court, which granted the Cyber Crime Branch four days’ remand for further investigation.

Police had earlier arrested another accused, Rajnish Bhargav, a B.A. graduate and resident of Bikaner. A third accused, Ravi Bhargav, is still absconding.

The arrests were made as part of “Mission Cyber Rakshika #SecureHerSpace”, an initiative launched by Ahmedabad City Police to protect women from cyber crimes, online harassment, blackmail, and cyber exploitation.

The initiative also focuses on raising awareness of cybersecurity, deepfake profiles, AI-generated morphed images and videos, fake social media accounts, and other online offences.

According to officials, the gang allegedly created fake Instagram and Facebook accounts posing as astrologers, relationship experts, and “kinnar gurumas” to lure people facing emotional distress or personal problems.

Police said the accused used the Instagram account “astrologer_pooja_kinnar_maa” to contact victims by claiming they could resolve issues related to love affairs, marriage, and personal relationships.

Investigators said the accused allegedly gained victims’ trust before asking them to share photographs and personal information on the pretext of conducting rituals, pujas, and “vashikaran” practices.

The gang then allegedly edited the photographs and threatened to circulate them online unless money was paid.

Police further alleged that victims were forced during WhatsApp video calls to remove their clothes, after which screen recordings were made and used for blackmail.

The accused allegedly sent disappearing photos and videos using the “One View” feature and continued threatening victims with viral circulation on social media.

In the case registered by Ahmedabad Cyber Crime Police Station, the accused allegedly extorted a total of Rs 1,43,951 from a victim through multiple bank transactions.

The offence has been registered under Sections 75(2), 77, 78(2), 308(2), 318(4), 351(2) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with Sections 66(D) and 67 of the Information Technology Act.

During the investigation, officials conducted technical analysis and gathered human intelligence to trace the accused.

Police said preliminary findings suggest that more than 65 people may have been cheated by the gang, while around 300 mobile numbers were contacted by the accused during the last month alone.

Investigators also found that the accused allegedly used Instagram’s ad boosting feature to specifically target women and men aged between 18 and 35 years.

“The gang selected audience interests such as ‘love problems’ and astrology while running online advertisements to attract potential victims,” officials noted.

Police said several Instagram accounts allegedly linked to the gang are under investigation, including “astrologer_pooja_kinnar_maa”, “astrotalk_with_bheravlal”, “kinnargurumatasushilaji”, “acharya_vikasshastri”, “aghoribalaknath”, “kinnar_maa_santoshdevi”, “dishank_sashtri”, and “astro_surya_prakash_shastri”.

Two Facebook accounts, such as “Om Mahakal Jotyshi” and “Kinnar maa santosh devi,” are also being examined as part of the probe.

Issuing a public advisory, the Cyber Crime Branch said: “People should remain cautious of advertisements on social media related to astrology, rituals, vashikaran, or solutions to personal problems. Personal photographs, videos, or information should not be shared with unknown persons.”

–IANS

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