Delhi man poses as US model on dating app, defrauds hundreds of women

A 23-year-old Delhi man who impersonated a model from the United States to meet women on dating apps and social media has been arrested for extorting money from them using private images and videos. He conned around 500 women, and personal images of some victims were discovered in his hands.

According to Delhi Police, the guy, Tushar Bisht, used a misleading identity to target girls and women aged 18 to 30, creating bogus profiles on Bumble, Snapchat, and other platforms using a virtual international mobile number. The accused enticed girls and ladies by posting a photo of a Brazilian model as his profile image. He would present himself as someone who had traveled to India for a project and start a discussion.

He would gradually seek to develop a personal connection with them. Once he had their trust, he would seize the chance to seek personal photos. If any woman fell for his ruse and shared such photographs, he would quickly resort to blackmail, threatening to make the images public unless he was paid.

Bisht’s intricate cybercrime was discovered after a Delhi University student, who was a victim of his scam, filed a complaint against him. She notified the police that when they spoke on a dating site, a man presented himself as a freelance model residing in the United States.

The man claimed to be in India for a project, and their acquaintance eventually turned into a friendship. They started conversing regularly on the app, and the student trusted him enough to share her intimate photos and videos with him over WhatsApp. Despite her repeated pleas to meet in person, the man always found an excuse to postpone the appointment.

The scenario became unpleasant when she unexpectedly got an intimate video of herself on her cell phone. To her surprise, the sender was none other than the man she thought was a freelance model from the US. He threatened to make the video go public unless she gave him money.

Terrified, the student agreed to give Bisht as much money as she could, stating that she was a student with little financial means. However, the guy kept pressuring her for more money. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the student confided in her family, who went with her to the police station and made a report.  The police then traced Bisht down using technological information and arrested him. He was discovered to be an employee of a private firm in Noida.  During interrogation, Bisht admitted to the crime and stated that he had harassed 200 to 500 women. The authorities also found many personal films on his phone.