Hyderabad Police Arrest Bengaluru Man For Conning NRIs On Dating Apps

The Hyderabad Cybercrime police on Thursday arrested a 26-year-old man from Bengaluru for his involvement in a sextortion scam through dating websites. The accused Riddh Bedi, a resident of Brookfield, allegedly collected photos of attractive women from dating sites, created fake profiles, and even chatted with men, pretending to be a woman, to rob them of exorbitant amounts.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad Cybercrime Police on Thursday arrested a former techie in Brookefield, Bangalore for allegedly luring NRIs on dating apps by asking them to send private photos and subsequently extorting money by blackmailing them. The police traced Riddh Bedi, 26, a resident of Brookfield, following a complaint from a Hyderabad resident citing that his son residing in California, USA.

The police traced Riddh Bedi, 26, a resident of Brookfield, following a complaint from a Hyderabad resident citing that his son residing in California, USA had been unknowingly involved in a sextortion scam through dating website Seeking.com and conned of $1,721 or Rs 60,679. The police seized a laptop, two mobile phones and other mobile equipment used by him.

Police said Bedi had studied mechanical engineering in California and returned to India after living in the US for six years. He turned into a cyber criminal after losing his job, the police said. "He was forced to turn into an online scammer after facing financial constraints," police added.

Bedi's Tactics: He would collect photos of attractive women from dating sites, create fake profiles, and even chat with men to rob them of exorbitant amounts. To avoid getting into trouble with the Indian police, he primarily targeted Americans and expatriate Indians, posing as a woman and engaging in private conversations.

Bedi would send semi-nude pictures and lure victims into compromising situations eventually blackmailing them by demanding lump sum amounts in exchange for not releasing their photos. Instead of direct bank transfers, Bedi would have the amount sent through platforms such as Jelly, later transferring the funds to his accounts.

How was he caught?One victim, a Hyderabadi youth in the US, was blackmailed for $1,721. When the harassment didn’t stop, the youth's father filed a complaint with Hyderabad Cybercrime Police.

Based on technical evidence, the police traced the scam to Bengaluru and arrested Bedi. His lavish lifestyle, living in a prime property in Bengaluru by paying a rent of ₹75,000 per month, and operating at night while sleeping during the day, stunned the investigators. Bedi had also been using fake SIM cards and Gmail accounts to avoid detection.