LSE GRAD Among Three Nabbed in Cyber Extortion Ring

NEW DELHI, India – August 17, 2025:Delhi cops have caught three guys, including a London School of Economics (LSE) grad student, who they say ran a ₹2 crore ($240,000 USD) cyber scam from Thailand. The suspects are Nitish (31), Sumit (42), and Prince (35). Apparently, they called a businessman in Delhi on WhatsApp, pretending to be a big-time gangster. They wanted him to pay up in crypto. It seems like these three were seriously in debt. They got busted as soon as they touched down back in India, putting an end to their wild international crime scheme.

How the Extortion Went Down

So, this whole thing started when the businessman in Delhi went to the cops at the Desh Bandhu Gupta Road station. He said he got a scary call on WhatsApp from some number overseas. The caller claimed to be a famous gangster and demanded ₹2 crore. He even threatened the guy’s kids if he didn’t pay.

To get the money, they sent a crypto QR code. They thought that would hide where the money was going. Plus, they used a VoIP service on WhatsApp and an international SIM card to try and stay hidden from the Indian police.

The cyber team took over right away and started digging. They figured out the call and the crypto QR code came from Thailand. That was a big clue that this was an international thing.

Tracking Down the Suspects and Making the Arrests

This investigation was headed up by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Nidhin Valsan, and they used some serious cyber skills. The police worked with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to look at past crypto payments and watch where the suspects were going. That’s how they found these three.

The guys went to Thailand just to pull this off. They thought being in another country would keep them safe from the law. They didn’t stay long, though. They flew back to India soon after making the threat, and the cops were waiting when they landed.

When they got arrested, the cops found two phones. One made the crypto QR code, and the other made the scary WhatsApp call. That was solid proof linking them to the crime.

Who’s Behind It and Why

When the cops grilled them, the three said they did it because they owed a lot of money. They were in big trouble and thought this extortion thing would be a get-rich-quick plan.

Nitish (31), the LSE grad from Moti Nagar, was supposedly the brains of the operation, especially when it came to the tech and crypto stuff. He’s got a master’s degree in something like software from LSE. His education helped him figure out the complicated cyber parts of the crime.

Sumit (42), who has a BCom and sells jewelry from West Punjabi Bagh, knew the victim. That was important because they picked someone they thought would be scared and able to pay. Prince (35), who dropped out of school in Class 9 from Roshanara Road, helped make the threatening calls.

Using the Gangster’s Reputation

To scare the victim and make him pay, the guys pretended to be a well-known gangster. It’s a trick that’s been used before. By acting like a criminal, they tried to make the threat feel real and scary so they wouldn’t have to actually confront him.

It’s becoming more of a thing to use a gangster’s name for cyber extortion. It’s like mixing the secret world of the internet with the very real fear of criminals. The investigation shows how criminals are now using old-school scare tactics with new tech.

What This Means for Cybercrime in India

This case is a wake-up call about how cybercrime is changing. Criminals are getting smarter, using places overseas and complicated tech like crypto and VoIP to hide who they are. The local police and the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) working together was key to cracking this case. It shows how important it is to have special cyber units and different agencies cooperating.

This also shows how easy it is for people and businesses to get attacked. We need to tell people about how to stay safe online and to report anything that looks suspicious. The Delhi Police acted fast, sending a message that even super complicated, high-tech crimes will be dealt with seriously. The investigation is still going on to see if these three were involved in other cybercrimes.

Reported by: Herohind News Desk