Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has uncovered a honeytrap racket that extorted ₹1.6 crore from a city-based businessman using threats of false rape and assault charges after luring him via the dating app Tinder. Two members of the gang, Kaushalendra Singh and Arun Singh, have been arrested in connection with the case.

ACP Bharat Patel of the Crime Branch stated that accused Kaushalendra, originally from Bihar, previously lived in Delhi with his family. He used to work as a male escort and would create fake Tinder profiles using photos of women he had interacted with, in order to trap unsuspecting individuals.

In this case as well, Kaushalendra communicated with the victim using a woman’s identity. He lured the victim to a hotel in Delhi and sent another woman to meet him. Later, he claimed the woman had been assaulted and began demanding money. Initially, ₹1.5 lakh was extracted. After the victim returned to Ahmedabad, Kaushalendra, posing as a police officer in uniform via video call, continued extorting money in multiple installments, eventually totaling ₹1.6 crore.

The victim, a divorced businessman residing in the Panjrapol area of Ahmedabad, had installed Tinder in hopes of meeting someone. Through the app, he came into contact with a woman named “Janhvi.” They exchanged numbers and began chatting regularly. In 2022, while on a business trip to Delhi, the woman, actually Kaushalendra in disguise, pressured him to meet in person. When the man agreed, a different woman was sent to his hotel room. After a short interaction, she left. Later that night, “Janhvi” messaged the businessman, claiming the woman had been assaulted and was bleeding, and that a police complaint was being filed against him.

Kaushalendra then impersonated a sub-inspector from the DLF Phase-1 police station in Gurugram and called the victim, asking him to appear at the station. When he arrived, he was taken to an upper floor and threatened with multiple criminal charges. The gang then continued to extort large sums over time.

Following a complaint, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch initiated technical surveillance and tracked down the accused in Bihar. Authorities suspect more individuals may be involved, and investigations are underway to determine if any Delhi Police personnel were knowingly or unknowingly involved.

To make their threats seem legitimate, the gang even filed a formal complaint at the DLF police station. Though a settlement was eventually reached, the extortion continued under the pretense of police pressure. DeshGujarat