Getting emotionally involved with a woman turned out to be a costly mistake for a 60-year-old retired state government employee, who fell victim to a honeytrap scheme resulting in extortion of more than Rs 82 lakh. Law enforcement authorities have apprehended three individuals in connection with the case – Reena Annamma (40), Sneha (30), and Sneha’s husband Lokesh (26).
As per the complaint filed with Jayanagar police, the victim (referred to as Naresh for anonymity), a resident of Srinagar, narrated the sequence of events. He was introduced to Annamma by one of his friends in April. This friend suggested that Naresh financially assist Annamma, whose five-year-old son was reportedly battling cancer. Their first meeting took place at a hotel, where Naresh handed Annamma Rs 5000. Subsequently, Annamma borrowed smaller sums from him on multiple occasions, citing various reasons.
In the first week of May, Annamma invited Naresh to a hotel near Electronics City, specifically Huskur Gate. During this encounter, Naresh asserted that Annamma coerced him into having sexual intercourse by employing threats. He claimed that despite his refusal, the act took place, and they continued to meet privately at the same hotel on multiple occasions.
Annamma later introduced Sneha to Naresh, who similarly began borrowing money from him, allegedly using private videos of their encounters as leverage. Sneha also took to blackmailing him by threatening to expose these videos to his relatives. Sneha sent him some of these compromising videos on WhatsApp while demanding Rs 75 lakh. Succumbing to the pressure, Naresh withdrew Rs 82 lakh from his provident fund and transferred the amount to both Annamma and Sneha. Moreover, the duo allegedly went to the extent of threatening to harm Naresh’s daughter by orchestrating a rape if he dared to disclose the extortion.
However, shortly afterward, the woman demanded an additional sum of Rs 42 lakh. Overwhelmed by the distress, Naresh eventually approached the police. A high-ranking officer informed that charges of extortion, criminal intimidation, and provoking breach of peace were lodged, resulting in a legal case. P Krishnakant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), confirmed the arrest of three individuals and the freezing of approximately Rs 25 lakh in their bank account. Moreover, around 300 grams of gold jewelry was seized as evidence.