Andhra Pradesh police have successfully dismantled a sophisticated honey-trap extortion racket in Anantapur, leading to the arrest of five individuals involved in coercing victims for money.
Andhra Pradesh police have busted a honey-trap extortion racket operating in and around Anantapur rural mandal and arrested five persons for allegedly collecting money through threats and coercion, a police official said on Thursday.
The accused have been identified as part of an organised gang led by prime accused Mamillapalli Rangamma, along with Dabbara Rajesh, Mangala Jayalakshmi, Chandrakala, and Ananthakumari, police said.
"We have busted a honey-trap extortion racket that lured victims with sweet talk, trapped them, and extorted money by threatening to circulate nude photographs and even kill them," Anantapur rural DSP T Venkatesulu told reporters.
According to the DSP, the case came to light following a complaint lodged on April 18 by K Uday Bhaskar Reddy, a 24-year-old resident of Bengaluru.
The complainant said that around five months ago, Jayalakshmi lured him to a house in Bhagyanagar on the pretext of conducting a drone survey, where Rajesh allegedly assaulted him, forcibly stripped him, and took nude photographs along with the woman accused.
Venkatesulu said another accused, Rangamma, entered the house, threatened the victim with dire consequences, and demanded Rs 4 lakh to keep the matter confidential, warning that refusal would lead to public exposure and harm.
Out of fear, the victim arranged Rs 4 lakh from acquaintances and paid the accused to escape the situation, he said.
The DSP said the accused also threatened victims with knives and used intimidation tactics, including threats of murder, to extort large sums of money.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the honey-trap extortion racket targeted around 20 persons using similar methods and allegedly extorted nearly Rs 1 crore over a period of time.
Police seized Rs 13 lakh in cash, suspected transactions worth over Rs 1 crore, two knives, and promissory notes from the accused. Further investigation is underway.
The DSP said the racket operated in a coordinated manner, identifying targets, luring them to specific locations, and executing the honey-trap before demanding money.
So far, all five accused have been arrested. The prime accused, Rangamma, was earlier remanded, while the others were arrested on April 23.
Police said Rangamma is involved in about 10 cases, while the other accused also have cases registered against them in Anantapur and Tirupati districts.