Bengaluru: Three arrested for honey-trapping, extorting vegetable vendor

Bengaluru: The Mico Layout police have arrested three persons including a woman for allegedly extorting money from a vegetable vendor in a honey trap recently. The woman had befriended the vegetable vendor during her visit to his shop for buying vegetables.

The arrested are identified as Neha Fathima, 25, her male friend Taslim Basha, 36, and Mohammed Arbaz, 25, all three residents of BTM Layout.

The victim, Ravi, 36, (name changed), a resident of Muneshwaranagar in Garvebhavipalya, owns a vegetable shop in BTM Layout. According to his complaint, on September 29, when it was heavily raining in the evening, a woman took shelter in his shop. The duo introduced themselves to each other. The woman introduced herself to Ravi as Neha Fathima, a resident of NS Palya in BTM Layout. She reportedly took his phone number as well.

The duo started chatting regularly within a couple of days they became close. They wanted to meet and spend private time. They decided to meet on October 6. Accordingly Ravi met Fathima in a house on the second floor of a building in NS Palya.

Ravi told police after locking the door the duo started consuming beer. Fathima reportedly asked him to undress and he followed her instructions. As a few people started knocking on the door, a shocked Ravi opened the door. The gang recorded him on their mobile phone. They introduced themselves as the relatives of Fathima and threatened to show him the video to his family members and others.

By blackmailing they extorted his SUV key, a mobile phone, Rs 5,000 in cash and they made him transfer Rs 32,000 from his UPI account. They left the place in his SUV after demanding Rs 10 lakh so that they don't show his video to anyone. Ravi had filed a complaint with Mico Layout police on October 8. The police swung into action and interrogated Fathima to learn that she and others were into honey trapping to extort money from people. She and two of her associates are arrested. Rs 16,000 in cash, debit card, SUV, a mobile phone have been recovered from him. Efforts are on to nab others at large and further investigation is on.