Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh): A young woman running a honey-trap gang in Jabalpur has been caught by the police.
She trapped men through Instagram, called them for meetings, and then extorted money with the help of her two male partners.
Acting on complaints from two victims, Lordganj police arrested the woman and two men.
The woman, originally from Kareli in Narsinghpur district, had been living on rent in Jabalpur for the past three months. During the investigation, the role of two police constables also came forward.
They reportedly reached the spot during the extortion attempt and helped the gang.
Taking the matter seriously, the SP has attached both constables to the police line. All three accused have been sent to jail.
Instagram friendship turns into a trap
A 19-year-old youth from Belkheda became friends with the woman, who introduced herself as Ragini Sharma on Instagram.
After days of chatting, she asked him to come to Jabalpur before she returned to Narsinghpur. On Saturday, he reached Vijay Nagar with his cousin. After tea, she took them to a house in Shatabdipura.
She asked them to bring food, drinks, and beer. The cousin went out to buy the items.
At that moment, the woman called her two partners, who soon arrived, burst into the room, abused and beat the youth, and recorded a video.
The two accused, Sahil and Vivek, threatened the youth and demanded ₹1 lakh. They warned that if he didn’t pay, they would make the video viral and also file a false rape case. When the youth’s brother reached the spot, the woman also pressured both brothers to pay the money immediately.
Terrified, they called their relatives in Jabalpur, who rushed to the scene. When the relatives refused to pay, the woman and her accomplices became aggressive and then called two constables from the Yadav Colony police outpost.
As soon as Vivek made the call, the two constables reached the house within five minutes, much faster than the usual response time of 10–15 minutes. The woman told the constables that the youths had called her to the room and molested her.
The complainant says the constables also threatened them, saying they would be sent to jail based on the woman’s complaint. Shocked, the youths’ relatives contacted SP Sampat Upadhyay, who ordered Kotwali CSP Ritesh Kumar Shiv to investigate.
About the Accused
CSP Ritesh Kumar Shiv said accused Vivek is an auto driver from Sanjeevani Nagar, while Sahil Barman works in a private company. Police are now checking how many more people are connected to this honey-trap gang and how many youths have been blackmailed earlier.
They are also finding out where the woman stayed in Jabalpur and who supported her.
Based on the initial investigation, SP Sampat Upadhyay has attached constables Sachin Jain and Siddharth to the police line.
Further inquiry will decide if they were directly involved in the honey-trap. If found guilty, they may face suspension.
