BJP MP falls victim to ‘sextortion’ gang

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: As cybercrime cases are on the rise in Karnataka, Davangere MP and former Union Minister GM Siddeshwara claimed that he became a victim of a ‘sextortion’ gang that allegedly wanted to rob and defame him.

Fortunately, the vigilant lawmaker was able to repel them. Siddeshwara, 71, in his complaint to the police said that he received a WhatsApp video call on July 20 when he was at his residence close to UB City in Bengaluru.

A woman made unwanted sexual advances and started revealing her privates while on the call, he stated. Although he blocked the contact number, the criminals continued to call and taped his conversation with them.

The callers didn't stop calling Siddeshwara that day until he gave his phone to his wife. While he was with the police to report the matter, he received another WhatsApp call wherein the fraudsters threatened the lawmaker to post his recordings on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, among other social media sites.

Police investigating the BJP MP's allegation discovered that the calls originated from a specific number in Rajasthan.

They said that there had been an attempt at sextortion. According to Siddeshwara's complaint, he initially got a WhatsApp message asking, "How are you?" around 10:16 pm. He did not respond to the message.

Around 10:22 pm, he received a WhatsApp video call. The woman, who called him, spoke to him in Hindi. She began exposing her privates and acting improperly when Siddeshwara questioned who she was and why she had called. A probe has been initiated into the matter.