Assam: Mumbai police arrested Dildar Hussain for sextortion; around 2500 people gathered to protect him

In a significant breakthrough, Mumbai police apprehended 23-year-old Dildar Hussain Ali from Assam on December 14, following an extensive day-long search in a forest in Assam’s Sonitpur district. The arrest was made in connection with the suspect recording a nude video of a victim from Andheri (East) and subsequently using it to extort money.

The accused, a school dropout possessing technical expertise in recording WhatsApp Video Calls, coerced a minimum of Rs 1 lakh from the 20-year-old victim over the past year. Ali fabricated a false Instagram account to upload the compromising video for blackmail.

Upon arriving in the village, the police team encountered a crowd of approximately 2500 individuals who had assembled to assist Dildar Hussain Ali in evading capture. The accused had managed to elude authorities by exploiting his technical skills and had previously led the police on a chase between locations in Assam and Kerala.

The case, filed on November 30, 2023, at the MIDC Seepz police station in Andheri (East) Mumbai, revealed the victim’s frustration with constant blackmail and harassment. The accused had forced the victim, who worked in a firm in Andheri, to transfer money to his bank account.

According to a police officer from the MIDC Seepz police station, the complainant had initially met Ali on a social media platform a few months ago. Ali befriended the victim, promised marriage, and initiated video calls. The victim was coerced into engaging in explicit acts, which were recorded and later used for extortion.

The victim, in her complaint, stated, “The blackmailing began after I rejected his marriage proposal when I learned that the accused, whom I befriended on social media as Dildar Khan, is a school dropout and unemployed.”

DCP Datta Nalawade led the supervisory role for the team, including ACP Dr Shashikant Bhosale, MIDC Police Senior Inspector Satish Gaikwad, Inspector Tukaram Koyande, Sub-Inspector Pramod Khotwad, and supporting staff. The team successfully traced the accused to Assam, overcoming the challenges posed by the accused’s attempts to evade arrest.

DCP (zone X) Datta Nalawade supervised the team — ACP Shashikant Bhosale, MIDC police senior inspector Satish Gaikwad, inspector Tukaram Koyande, sub-inspector Pramod Khotwad and staff — that tracked the accused. “Initially, we were confused about where to head first as his location was tracked down to Assam and Kerala. The team finally decided to head to Assam,” said a police officer. “When we reached there on Tuesday, Ali’s parents, along with around 2,500 villagers, helped him escape into the forest. The team took the help of local police to comb the forest and he was nabbed after a 12-hour search,” the officer added.

Ali’s parents, upon learning of the police team’s arrival in Assam, sought the villagers’ help to facilitate his escape. A gathering of around 2500 villagers surrounded Ali’s house, prompting the team to enlist the help of the superintendent of police in Assam. The exhaustive 12-hour search in the jungle culminated in the arrest of Dildar Hussain Ali on December 14.

Dildar Hussain Ali has been booked under the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act for charges including sexual harassment, defamation, and computer-related offenses.