A man in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, says an Instagram influencer lured him into a relationship, got hold of his private photographs and videos, and then bled him for money for years. Police have registered an FIR against her and two men.
The complainant is Mohammad Shahrukh, a resident of Chaudhary Sarai. The influencer, who has more than one lakh Instagram followers, is named as Arisha. The other two accused are Anas and Shoaib.
What the complaint says
Shahrukh alleges he met Arisha about three years ago on a trip to Nainital. The two knew each other from Instagram and met in person while visiting the hill station with their own companions. The friendship turned into a relationship.
During that time, he claims, Arisha obtained his objectionable photographs and videos. Later she and her associates threatened to post the material on social media and to implicate him in false cases unless he paid. The FIR says the accused took Rs 55,000 from him this way.
On July 1, 2023, he says, both sides signed a settlement on stamp paper in which Arisha admitted that earlier allegations against him were false. The blackmail started again anyway. Shahrukh says Arisha, Anas and Shoaib contacted him once more, threatened to leak the content and demanded Rs 2 lakh. That demand pushed him to go to the police.
He claims he has paid the accused nearly Rs 4 lakh over time, and he gave police screenshots of transactions and conversations as evidence.
After the FIR was registered, Shahrukh says, fresh threats and abusive messages began arriving, and posts targeting him appeared on social media. He also alleges the accused belong to a larger racket that honey-traps men and extorts money by playing on their fear of public embarrassment. Police have not independently verified these allegations.
Police response
Local police officer Sudhir Panwar confirmed the case. “A man approached the police alleging that a woman and a few others were blackmailing him and demanding money. An FIR has been registered on the basis of his complaint. The allegations are being investigated, and further legal action will be taken on the basis of evidence,” he said.
Police are trying to trace Arisha and the two other accused. Officials said they are verifying the claims and will examine the role of everyone named in the FIR before deciding on further action. No arrests have been reported.
