MUMBAI, Feb. 11 -- What began as an online friendship spiralled into a two-year ordeal for a 70-year-old businessman from Worli, who was allegedly coerced into paying Rs.2.40 crore to a gang of seven women and four men, who allegedly posed as police officers and intermediaries, and threatened criminal action. Police officers said the senior citizen was so pressured by the gang that he left India and lived in Zambia for five months in an attempt to escape the harassment, but the calls and demands followed him even there. According to the Worli police, the alleged fraud began in January 2024 with a woman identified as Alia, whom the complainant had been chatting with on social media for a few years. "He had shared all his personal details with Alia, including the fact that he stays alone in his bungalow at Worli and that he was in the polymer export business," said a police officer. During one of their conversations, Alia allegedly offered to introduce the complainant to a woman who would help him cope with loneliness. In January 2024, she sent two women, identified as Shruti and Yasmin, and the complainant reluctantly went out with them for dinner at a high-end restaurant. The women then introduced him to a certain Rubina, who told him she was a police officer. She allegedly told him that Alia ran a prostitution racket, and he would have to come to the police station in connection with a case involving her. The senior refused to oblige her, the officer said. The following day, a man identifying himself as Roshan allegedly called the complainant, claiming that Shruti and Yasmin had filed a complaint accusing him of having sex with them without payment. To settle the matter and avoid police action, the women were demanding Rs.8.25 lakh, Roshan allegedly told him. Fearful of legal trouble, the complainant paid the amount. The next day, another woman, Hina, called him, claiming that her husband, Farukh, was an officer in the Mumbai police's crime branch. She allegedly said the crime branch was monitoring his movements because of his "illicit relationship" with the women, and offered to settle the matter for Rs.12 lakh, which he paid. Roshan later contacted the complainant again and asked him to pay Rs.22 lakh, saying that the three girls' family members had come to know about the alleged sexual assault. Roshan added that a judicial officer from Thane had also gotten involved, so the demand for settling the matter was higher. Believing the matter would finally be resolved, the senior citizen transferred the money, police said. However, new callers continued to surface. A woman claiming to be the sister of an MLA from Mira Road called him and allegedly demanded Rs.3 lakh more as a one-time settlement for sexually exploiting women. "Tired of the severe pressure exerted by the gang and continuous threats extended by them, the senior citizen went to Zambia in Africa and stayed there for around five months," said the police officer. "There also, he got a WhatsApp call from a person who identified himself as Roshan's boss, who told him that Alia was tired and ready for a one-time settlement. He asked him to transfer Rs.18 lakh online to end the entire episode." In this manner, from January 2024 to February 2026, the gang extorted Rs.2.40 crore from the businessman in cash and via online transactions. The 70-year-old approached the police after the gang demanded an additional Rs.1.60 crore and sent him a payment schedule along with the names of recipients. The police said the complainant had blocked their numbers, but they continued to call from new numbers. Matters escalated when Alia allegedly visited his residence in his absence, threatened his staff and created a ruckus, leaving him "extremely scared". He eventually approached the police....