Convert to Islam or pay: Bengaluru sextortion racket busted
The Karnataka Police arrested a woman identified as Neha alias Mehar from Mumbai on Wednesday for allegedly running a sextortion racket in Bengaluru, IANS reported. According to preliminary investigations, the woman, a model, is the main accused in the case. She allegedly used the Telegram app to honeytrap men aged between 20 and 50, the police said. The woman and her accomplices then blackmailed the victims by threatening them to convert to Islam, marry her, or pay them money.
Three accused arrested earlier this month
The police earlier arrested three accused in the case on August 1 in Bengaluru. They were identified as Sharana Prakash Baligera, Abdul Khader, and Yasin. Neha's alleged boyfriend, Nadeem, is reportedly still on the run. The police believe the gang duped at least 12 people in the last six months and said an investigation was underway as the suspects might be involved in more cases, The Hindu reported. The accused allegedly threatened the victims to undergo circumcision along with conversion.
How accused honey-trapped victims
The accused allegedly contacted the victims and lured them to have sex with the woman at their residence in Bengaluru's JP Nagar, which had a hidden camera. The three suspects, who were arrested earlier, used to barge into the house, pretending to have caught both of them in a compromising position. They snatched the victims' mobile phones and noted down all the contacts, following which they blackmailed the victims, threatening to send their intimate videos to their contacts.
How incident came to light
Despite their ordeal, none of the victims came forward due to social stigma. However, one of the victims, a private firm employee, became tired of the harassment and mustered the courage to lodge a complaint, following which the incident came to light. The police recovered Rs. 20,000 from the bank account of the three accused arrested earlier.
