A businessman from Bara, Himachal Pradesh, has fallen victim to a sophisticated blackmail scam involving a woman and her associates. The incident, which took place over several months, saw the businessman defrauded
of Rs 8.5 lakh. It has been reported that the victim is a BJP worker and a close associate of a former MLA.
The scam began when the businessman established contact with a woman from a con gang through video calls. Identified as Silky from Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, she, along with her associates Akash Sharma and Mohit Sharma, manipulated him into a financial trap.
The victim came into contact with the girl about seven months ago. She allegedly trapped him through video calls and began blackmailing him. When the harassment continued even after defrauding him of around Rs 8.5 lakh, he lodged a complaint with the Nadaun police station.
In the complaint, the businessman stated that the woman deliberately defrauded him of approximately Rs 8 lakh.
Since April 2025, Silky first gained his trust by claiming to be a relative and then lured him into investing money in the stock market. She subsequently engaged the victim in obscene conversations and video calls, recorded them, and began blackmailing him.
Initially, the accused demanded Rs 35,000, which he paid online, but later insisted that further payments be made offline.
Additional Superintendent of Police, Hamirpur, Rajesh Upadhyay, said the complaint was filed at Nadaun police station. The businessman had been friends with the woman on Instagram for several months, but she later recorded a video of him and began blackmailing him, he added. The police are investigating the sextortion case, in which approximately Rs 8 lakh was defrauded.
The complainant told the police that, fearing defamation, he sent the first installment of Rs 4 lakh in a packet to Delhi via an HRTC bus after informing the woman. She confirmed receipt and later demanded a second installment of Rs 4 lakh, which he also sent in the same manner. Additionally, he deposited around Rs 40,000 into her bank account.
The police advised the public not to give in to such blackmail and to report any such incidents immediately. Meanwhile, people have started questioning how the youth managed to earn such large sums in a short period.
