Mumbai, August 18: The Bengaluru police recently busted a sextortion racket in the city after several men were allegedly honey-trapped by a woman who extorted money from them. Police officials said the woman used to honeytrap men and blackmail them before extorting huge amounts of money from her victims. While the police arrested three gang members and busted the sex racket, they are yet to arrest the woman who is said to be the mastermind behind the crime.

According to a report in India Today, the accused woman has been identified as Neha, alias Meher. An officer privy to the case said the woman and her three accomplices reportedly engaged with the victims through Telegram's messaging platform. The officer further said that the victims were allegedly invited to the woman's residence for sex. Bengaluru Honeytrap Shocker: Retired Government Employee Forced to Have Sex in Hotel Room, Extorted of Rs 82 Lakh by Two Women.

Gang Threatened Victims to Marry the Woman

Explaining their modus operandi, cops said that the three men would record the entire act when the woman named Meher would have sex with her victims. Later, the gang used the footage to blackmail and extort money from the victims. The gang reportedly threatened the victims to either marry Meher and convert to Islam or pay her the "extortion" money.

During the investigation, police officials learned that the gang amassed over Rs 35 lakh through blackmailing. An official also said that the extortion went on for over a year and a half. The cops have now traced Meher's location to Mumbai. Cops also said that they had recovered Rs 60,000 from the gang. The officials said that all transactions were facilitated through the digital payment platform Paytm. Bengaluru Shocker: Woman Finds Photos and Videos of ‘Gay’ Husband Having Sex With Other Men, Lodges Complaint.

Police officials also said that they believe over 50 men have fallen prey to the gang's sextortion racket. Notably, the incident came to light when one of the victims lodged a complaint against the gang. Police are also investigating the possibility that the gang could have forced the victims to undergo circumcision.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 18, 2023 08:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).