In a shocking incident, four people have been arrested in Noida, Uttar Pradesh for allegedly trying to blackmail couples by installing hidden cameras in OYO hotel rooms to record their intimate moments.
Members of the group allegedly booked rooms in OYO hotels and placed cameras in hidden spots before checking out, the police said. After a few days, they checked in again and took their equipment following which they contacted the couple, police said.
After the couples failed to pay up, the group would threaten to leak their videos, police said. Preliminary probe suggested that the hotel staff were not involved in the crime, they added.
The four accused namely, Vishnu Singh, Abdul Wahav, Pankaj Kumar and Anurag Kumar Singh are reported to be part of three different gangs operating in Noida. These groups were involved in illegal activities, including unauthorized call centers and providing fake sim cards.
Eleven laptops, 21 mobiles and 22 ATM cards are among the items seized during the raid, the police officials said, adding that the gang is operating across the country.
One of the gang members is still absconding and efforts are being made to nab him.
Senior cop Saad Mian Khan said, “The accused Vishnu and Abdul Wahav used to send videos of intimate moments to the couple’s phone to extort money out of them, threatening to post the videos online if their demands were not met. The third accused, Pankaj, used to provide the registered SIM and account registered in the name of other persons for the extortion money”.
“11 laptops, 7 CPUs, 21 mobiles, 22 ATM cards of different banks, one PAN card, one Aadhar card, 14 fake I Pharma and a huge amount of fake documents, I card, SIM card were recovered from their possession. One of his companions is still absconding,” the police official said.
OYO is yet to respond to the case.