Telegram Extortion Ring Busted in Tashkent

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Law enforcement officers in Tashkent have detained five young men who used the Telegram messenger to lure men into meetings and then extort money from them under threats of public humiliation.

The group members, aged between 18 and 21, operated a Telegram channel where they posed as women and initiated conversations with men of various ages, inviting them to private residences.

Once the victim crossed the threshold, accomplices—described by investigators as individuals engaged in various sports—would stage a provocation: accusing the guest of unlawful intentions, verbally abusing and beating him, while simultaneously recording the incident on video.

The victim was then forced to pay 10 million soums.

Those who refused were threatened with the dissemination of compromising footage online.

All suspects were apprehended at the scene while receiving 5 million soums, part of the demanded sum.

During the investigation, it was established that the organizer of the group has a prior conviction under Article 120 of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. According to investigators, he recruited and coordinated the other participants in the scheme.