Five arrested for running honeytrap, blackmail racket in Khargone

Khargone: Five persons, including 3 women, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly running a honeytrap and blackmailing racket under Sanawad police station limits.The accused allegedly lured people to a house, secretly recorded their objectionable videos, and later extorted money by threatening to make the clips viral and implicate victims in false criminal cases, said SDOP Barwaha Archana Rawat.The case was registered after a complaint was received on Feb 6 from a resident of village Satajna. The complainant alleged that on Feb 2, a woman identifying herself as Sapna repeatedly called him and invited him to her house in Padmavati Colony, Sanawad. When they were in the room, two men and another woman suddenly entered the room and threatened the complainant, claiming that an objectionable video was recorded, SDOP said.The accused allegedly demanded Rs 2.5 lakh, threatening to circulate the video, and implicate him in a false rape case. Out of fear, the complainant paid Rs 10,000, but the threats allegedly continued, she said.Based on the complaint, Sanawad police registered a case under relevant sections of extortion, criminal intimidation, and common intention. A police team led by police station in-charge Dharmendra Yadav conducted a raid and arrested the main accused, Vaijanti Duboliya. During interrogation, she confessed to committing the crime along with two other women and two men, identified as Sameer Ali and Sawan More.Sanawad police station in-charge Dharmendra Yadav told TOI all five accused were arrested, and Rs 10,000 in cash, along with the mobile phone containing the objectionable video, was seized. He said that since the incident came to light, around 20 more people came forward claiming they were also cheated in similar incidents. He added that the group was active for nearly one year and conducted transactions exclusively in cash to avoid leaving any evidence.