A 10-year-old Chennai schoolgirl is among the recent victims of the so-called “e-mafia”. Her family feels shattered after a stranger sent an email demanding a huge ransom to restrain him from posting a video of the child indulging in porn on camera. The girl was an innocent victim of an elaborate trap laid for her
parents to pay a global network of cyber extortionists, which is emerging as the latest headache for law-enforcement agencies.
Abhi (name changed) was the darling of her wealthy parents until the “black” email landed recently in her father’s inbox. They were extremely proud till then of their Net-savvy child: her mother would boast of the many friends Abhi had on Facebook.
Six months back Abhi got a “friend request” from another “little girl” who claimed she once studied in her school. She accepted, and a warm relationship began between the two girls. This “friend” eventually led Abhi step by step into activities before a webcam, saying these were “just games”. She told Abhi not to tell her parents as “grownups wouldn’t understand”.
Three months later, Abhi’s dad got an email from the extortionist, the real face behind the pretty photo of Abhi’s “friend”.
The blackmailer wanted `50 lakhs, and threatened to post Abhi’s video on YouTube and send the link to Abhi’s entire contact list if her family went to the police.
After much hesitation, they approached a cyber detective agency, who said the modus operandi indicated it could be the work of a gang operating in Holland, Russia, Britain and the United States. It would be almost impossible for the Indian police to track them, the cyber expert added.