Wig and specs: How a scammer who extorted PhD scholar of Rs 10 lakh nearly got away

The complainant in the case is one Dr Ravi, a PhD scholar in Jaipur. He was duped of Rs 10 lakh by a man who managed to convince him that his obscene photos and videos were going viral on social media.

A shocking case of deception and blackmail has surfaced in Jaipur, where a man extorted a PhD scholar for Rs 10 lakh under the pretext of a fictitious police investigation for a year. In a thrilling scene straight out of a Bollywood movie, the accused nearly managed to elude the police with the help of a wig and a pair of spectacles, before he ran out of luck and got caught.

The complainant in the case is one Dr Ravi, a PhD scholar from the National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA). Nearly a year ago, he became acquainted with a man named Sylvester Michael Fernandes, police said.

With time, Dr Ravi grew to think of him as a friend and a close confidant. However, Fernandes, on the other hand, hatched a sinister conspiracy to dupe the ayurveda scholar.

As part of his plan, Fernandes convinced Dr Ravi that his obscene photos and videos were going viral on social media. He then took to exploiting the scholar's paranoia and started threatening him by alerting the police, officials said.

Fearing legal troubles and humiliation, Dr Ravi kept complying with his demands. With this tactic, Fernandes extorted a total of Rs 10 lakh from Dr Ravi over a year. The PhD scholar, in a state of mental distress, finally decided to approach the police.

After receiving the complaint, the police used technical and covert means to track the accused man's activities. They subsequently carried out a raid to arrest him. However, Fernandes used a pair of spectacles and a wig to conceal his identity.