Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh: In what police are calling the first cybercrime case of its kind in Jabalpur, a popular Instagram creator has reportedly fallen victim to an elaborate digital extortion racket that exploited fake copyright “strikes” to extort money.

Azim Ahmed, 28, a software engineer-turned-content creator from Jabalpur, lost a total of ₹50 lakh to cyber fraudsters who threatened to “ban” and “shut down” his Instagram accounts unless he paid them, as per an NDTV report. Ahmed, who manages 96 Instagram pages with a combined following of over 57 million and runs a digital advertising firm called Whoopy Digital, said the extortion campaign left him anxious about losing both his online platforms and his livelihood.

Ahmed reportedly claims to have been receiving fake copyright strikes and threats for almost a year. He told police that the threats soon escalated to phone calls and fake Instagram emails, demanding ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 each time to remove the fake strikes.

Fearing the loss of his most popular page, which alone has around two million followers, Ahmed said he complied with repeated payment demands, which cumulatively amounted to ₹50 lakh.

Neeraj Negi, in charge of the Jabalpur Cyber Cell, confirmed that a case has been registered and an investigation is under way to identify the culprits.

Negi added that the police are coordinating with Instagram’s internal security team to trace how these fraudulent strikes were generated and who was behind them.

Authorities have urged influencers and social media users to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity or demands for payment related to content violations.