Bizman threatened, extorted after visit to spa in city

A 49-year-old man who visited a spa in Anna Nagar and reportedly returned without opting for any service was allegedly threatened over the phone and extorted Rs 22,500 with the threats that photos of his family members would be morphed and circulated on social media.

Nandakumar (name changed), a businessman from Anna Nagar, came across a spa service on the web and allegedly contacted the phone number given. As instructed over the phone, Nandakumar visited a hotel on Tuesday evening. However, since he was asked to pay Rs 2,500 to enter the spa, Nandakumar allegedly returned home without payment.

However, to his shock, Nandakumar received calls from the same person who allegedly, seeking a bigger amount, started threatening Nandakumar that he can access photos of Nandakumar’s family members on social media since his phone number is linked to his profiles and that he would morph them and circulate online.

Panicked, Nandakumar immediately sent Rs 22,500 via GPay to the caller’s phone number. When Nandakumar thought that the issue was settled completely, he received another phone call from the same person on Wednesday demanding another Rs 8,000 with the same threats.

Nandakumar immediately lodged a complaint at Anna Nagar police station and a case has been registered. A hunt has been launched for the miscreant.