In a shocking incident, popular Bengali film actor Ankush Hazra's assistant, Pintu Dey, was found hanging using a towel in the bathroom of his house in North Kolkata’s Narkeldanga locality, after which he was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared "brought dead.'' According to reports, Dey, 36, resorted to allegedly committing suicide after a Rajasthan-based gang tried blackmailing him by threatening to release a private video in case he failed to pay them money. Reports further state the group employs women in tricking men into online video chats and then use the footage to extort money, which could have been the reason for Dey to take his own life. No suicide note was found at the spot by the police. 

Dey’s relatives have claimed that there are individuals who were trying to blackmail him for money over the phone since February. Apparently, the caller had threatened to circulate Dey's private video, with the police since then initiating a probe into the tragic incident. An officer at the Narkeldanga police station earlier said, "The family has alleged that in the last call the offender claimed to be the city detective chief and threatened to get Pintu (Dey) arrested within two hours if he did not pay Rs 10,000". 

It is being stated that the gang had been targeting men in the city over the course of the past eight months, with the police also citing two other similar FIRs registered earlier, with Dey's demise reported to be the first as such in Kolkata. The Cyber Crime wing shared details in the manner the gang would operate and said the offender would first become friends with the victim on social media and then issue threats of releasing videos unless the payment is made. Joint CP (Crime) Murlidhar Sharma in a statement said, "The case has been lodged on the basis of a complaint by the victim’s sister. The cyber cell has lodged an FIR under IPC sections pertaining to abetment to suicide, cheating, extortion, fraud, criminal intimidation and Section 66C and 67 of the Information Technology Act." 

Condolences have been pouring in for Dey, with Ankush Hazra, who made his debut in 2010 with Kellafate, taking to his Instagram page to pay his tributes to his late assistant who had been working for him for nearly decade. In his detailed tribute post, Hazra said Dey was "more than a family member." Likewise, popular Bengali actress-producer Oindrila Sen too shared her condolences by posting a picture of herself with Dey that was taken earlier. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Ankush (@ankush.official)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Oindrila Sen (@love_oindrila)