Bhatkal police arrest three in alleged extortion case involving threats via virtual numbers

Bhatkal: The Bhatkal Town Police have arrested three youths accused of attempting to extort money from a local businessman by threatening to circulate morphed private photos and videos of his family members. The arrests were made following a complaint lodged at the Bhatkal Town Police Station on August 20, 2025.

The arrested individuals have been identified as,  Mohammad Faris (20), son of Abdul Mutallib Kodi, resident of Abuhuraira Colony, Bhatkal, Mohammad Arthad (22), son of Mohammad Zubair Byari, a contract worker from Moosanagar, Bhatkal, Aman (20), son of Masood Khan, a CSE-DS engineering student from Kundapur, Udupi.

According to the police, the complainant stated that on August 16, at around 8:35 PM, he received a call on his mobile phone from an international virtual number (+31 97010587581). The caller claimed to be in possession of his  personal photos and videos of one of his family members and demanded ₹20 lakh, threatening to defame the family if the money was not paid. The threats continued over the next two days, with fresh calls made to the complainant’s wife from numbers +31 97010587514 and +31 97010520866. During these calls, the extortionists reduced their demand to ₹15 lakh but continued to pressurize the family with threats.

Based on the written complaint, a case was registered at the Bhatkal Town Police Station under Section 308(2). 

Police Inspector Diwakar P. M. and PSI Naveen S. Naik formed a special team to trace the culprits behind the virtual numbers. With technical support from the district’s cyber experts, the team successfully tracked down and arrested the accused.

All three accused have been produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody.

The operation was carried out under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Deepan M. N. and Deputy Superintendent of Police Mahesh M. K., with the leadership of Inspector Diwakar P. M. and PSI Naveen Naik. The arrest team included CHCs Dinesh Naik, Vinayak Patil, and Nagaraj Moger; CPCs Mahantesh Hiremath, Kashinath Kotagunasi, Lokesh Katti, Mahesh Amagoth, Raghavendra Gowda, Jagadish Naik, and Neyavaru, along with district technical staff Baban and Uday Gunaga.