The Delhi Police Crime Branch’s Cyber Cell detained a Rajasthani citizen on 25 February 2025 for reportedly impersonating Rahul Sharma, a YouTube employee, and extorting individuals by threatening to post their pornographic movies on the website.

The defendant is a 27-year-old native of Bharatpur named Sahid. A non-bailable warrant bond was issued against him in connection with the 2022 case.

Police said that to further scare certain victims, Sahid allegedly pretended to be Inspector Surender from the Delhi Police Crime Branch. He is accused of using WhatsApp video conversations to record hundreds of people’s graphic films and then blackmailing them.

According to a report received by the cyber unit, in November 2022, the complainant was contacted by someone posing as a YouTube employee. The person claimed to have an offensive video of the complainant and requested payment to prevent it from being released. The victim initially transferred Rs 3.61 lakh to multiple bank accounts. However, as the extortion persisted, the plaintiff was forced to pay an extra Rs 25 lakh in several transactions.

According to Aditya Gautam, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Cyber Cell Crime, “[Rahul Sharma] was acting as an agent of one Sandeep Aggarwal who was previously arrested and had organized an extortion scheme along with others,” according to the results of the investigation.

Using technology and on-the-ground surveillance, police tracked Sahid’s movements in several locations, including Bharatpur in Rajasthan and Nuh in Haryana. Following a raid in Yamuna Nagar and Haryana on 23 February, he was arrested and held under five days of remand, officials said.

He was charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 384 (extortion), 419 (cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), and 120B (criminal cabal).

Sahid admitted upon questioning that he had only completed Class 3 of Gokulpur, Nuh. He was raised as an orphan, married in 2009, and battled to make ends meet while farming for his wife and five kids. Through a friend named Wasim, he was exposed to a sextortion network run by a man named Mazid in 2022, according to the DCP.

“Sahid joined the gang and started using false identities to conduct extortion and cyber fraud schemes. DCP Gautam continued, “It is anticipated that his arrest will result in the dismantling of a larger network of cybercriminals.”