Ashoknagar (Madhya Pradesh): The Ashoknagar Police have uncovered an organised blackmail and extortion racket accused of trapping a young woman through social media. The gang recorded objectionable videos and extorted nearly Rs 1.3 crore from her over several years.
Four accused including Aditya Singh Tomar, Ayushi Chauhan, Akash Chauhan and Aryan Soni, have been arrested.
According to police, the victim alleged that she came in contact with Aditya Singh Tomar through social media nearly five years ago when she was a minor studying in Class 12. He allegedly lured her into a relationship on the pretext of marriage and later, along with his associates, secretly recorded objectionable videos and photographs.
Police said the accused allegedly blackmailed the victim by threatening to leak the content online and falsely implicate her in criminal cases. The victim claimed she was repeatedly threatened by callers posing as Crime Branch officials and was forced to hand over huge sums of money.
Investigators said Ayushi Chauhan projected herself as an astrologer and gained the victim's trust, convincing her that she had links with police officials who could delete the videos. The woman was allegedly manipulated into taking a gold loan of around Rs 35 lakh by mortgaging family jewellery.
Police recovered gold and silver ornaments, a SUV, a scooter, laptops, mobile phones and around Rs 1.5 lakh cash allegedly purchased using the extorted money.
Superintendent of Police Rajeev Kumar Mishra announced rewards for the police team involved in solving the case.
