Thane, March 15 A 45-year-old man died by suicide in the Thane district of Maharashtra after allegedly being blackmailed by cyber criminals who threatened to circulate doctored, obscene photographs of him on social media, police said on Sunday.
An investigation has revealed that the victim, a resident of Kalyan East, was forced to transfer large sums of money in the months leading up to his death in January, they said.
Hemant Dayashankar Pandey hanged himself at his house in Kalyan East on January 7, he said.
According to the complaint filed by the victim's elder brother, he was being threatened by an unknown person, who claimed to have collected and created obscene images of him.
An analysis of the victim's mobile phone revealed that he was under pressure to arrange for Rs 2 lakh, and he reportedly asked his brother for Rs 1.6 lakh.
"Emails sent to the deceased contained doctored, obscene pictures. The sender was demanding money and threatening to defame him on social media," the official said.
He said the victim had transferred large sums of money between April 2025 and January 2026, and his family claimed that his inability to meet the escalating extortion demands caused him to take the extreme step.
A case has been registered against unidentified persons under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Information Technology Act, and an investigation is underway, the official said.