In a recent crackdown on cyber crimes, the Yelahanka police busted a gang and arrested six people, including a woman, who were accused of extorting Rs 2 lakh from an IT professional through a honeytrap. The racket began when the woman contacted the victim through a popular dating app, which later turned into blackmail and extortion. The arrested accused include Sangita Sahni (36, resident of JP Nagar), Sharanabasappa Baligar (50), Raju Mane (34), Shyam Sundar (20), Abhishek (19) and Birbal Majhagi (21).
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-East) Sajith V.J., Rakesh Reddy, who works in a private company, had lodged a complaint at the Yelahanka police station. The complaint said that on July 17, he befriended Sangeetha on the Bumble app, after which the two met at a mall opposite the Yelahanka police station.
Later, Sangeetha took Rakesh to a rented house in Ramagondanahalli, where both of them drank alcohol. At the same time, four other people entered the house and accused them of drug abuse. They took out a packet of white powder from Sangeetha’s bag and told it to be MDMA and threatened to implicate Rakesh in a drugs case and duped him of Rs 2 lakh online.
Based on the complaint, the police extracted the details of the bank account to which the money was transferred. With the help of call detail records (CDR) and CCTV footage, the police caught the entire gang. The investigation made it clear that the whole matter was a well-planned conspiracy.
Sharanabasappa was earlier also an accused in a honeytrap case registered at Puttenahalli police station in 2023. After being released from jail, he formed this gang along with other people working as painters and plumbers. Sangeetha, who hails from Uttar Pradesh, has previously worked in a dance bar.
The house that the gang had rented in Ramagondanahalli was specially used to trap people. The police have taken Sharanabasappa, Raju and Shyam into police custody, while Sangeetha and two others have been sent to judicial custody.
A senior official said that the gang has targeted more people but they have not come forward yet. The police are now contacting those victims to record their statements. The investigation also revealed that the white powder found in Sangeetha’s bag was not MDMA but baking soda.
