Thane: A 56-year-old man in Maharashtra’s Thane district was allegedly honeytrapped and blackmailed for ₹17.65 lakh by a group of seven people— including a police constable— after a compromising video was recorded and used to threaten him with public exposure. Police are investigating the extortion and the case is now under investigation.
According to the FIR obtained on Thursday, the complainant is a private firm employee residing in Kalyan. Police said he was targeted by a 28-year-old woman, identified as Seema Jagtap, who recorded an objectionable video of him. It was then used by the woman and her friends to force the victim to pay money.
The alleged extortion went on for approximately 3 months, according to the victim who paid ₹17.65 lakh for the video. If no money was paid, the video would be posted on social media. With the threat of exposure and the possibility of the video spreading out online now, the man continued to pay off.
Police have named seven people in the case. The main accused is Seema Jagtap, a resident of Dombivli. Bharati Sham Thakur, 55, and her husband Sumit Singh, her mother, are also named as accused. Three other people involved in the case are also named, one being an unidentified police constable.
A police officer's involvement has added a serious dimension to the allegedly honeytrap and extortion case. Police have not yet revealed the identity of the constable or what role he/she played. From the evidence collected in the investigation, the investigators will be able to establish the involvement of each accused.
The case has been registered under Section 308(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with extortion. Police said no arrests have been made at the time of the report and that efforts are being made to trace the accused.
How The Alleged Honeytrap Was Carried Out
According to the complaint, the incident started when the victim was in contact with the 28-year-old woman. Police believe the woman then recorded a compromising video of the man. The blackmail occurred after the video was taken, the complaint says.
The accused reportedly threatened the man with the prospect of the video being circulated on social media. Such threats make victims feel very psychologically vulnerable when suspects threaten to expose private material to family members, colleagues, or the wider public.
Over the next three months, the victim paid ₹17.65 lakh to prevent the video from being released. The large amount involved suggests that the alleged blackmail continued over a long period rather than being a one-time demand.
Police will now probe how the victim was initially approached, where and when the alleged recording was made, how the video was used to make the demands, and how the money was transferred. Investigators may also look at mobile phones, bank transactions, digital communications, and other electronic evidence.
Seven People Named In Case
The FIR names Seema Jagtap as the main accused along with her mother Bharati Sham Thakur and husband Sumit Singh. Three other people have also been named, including an unidentified police constable.
The number of people involved means that investigators are looking into whether the incident was in collaboration with a larger conspiracy to take money from the victim. Police will probably question those connected with the case and look for any of the accused and whether any of the complaints or prior charges are linked to any of the accused.
No arrests have been made at this time, police said.
Investigation Underway
Thane shows how dangerous online blackmail and so-called honeytrap schemes are that people are lured into compromising situations before being threatened with the release of private material. These types of payments can be repeated and victims will continue to pay in the face of the threat of public release of their videos or photos.
In this case, the victim was forced to pay ₹17.65 lakh over three months, cops said. The investigation will now be about establishing the full sequence of events and how the extortion happened.
The allegations against the seven people have not been proven in court. Police are investigating and more details are expected to emerge as they trace the suspects and see the evidence.
