The Yelahanka police on Monday arrested a gang of six for allegedly honeytrapping a 41-year-old private firm employee to extort ₹2 lakh from him on July 21.
The accused Raju Mane, 34; Sharanabasappa Baliger, 50; Abhishek, 19; Birbal Majjagi, 21; Shamsundar Pande, 20, and Sangeetha Sahni, 36, were arrested based on a complaint filed by the victim, a software engineer working with a prominent firm in Mahadevapura. He was originally from Telangana but has been residing in Bengaluru for the last 15 years.
According to the police, Sangeetha befriended the victim on a dating app a month ago and chatted before deciding to meet.
The duo met at a mall in Yelahanka and Sangeetha introduced herself as a single woman working as a business analyst at a private company and invited him home. On the way they purchased liquor , cigarettes and snacks to take it home .
They went to her rented accommodation and while having liquor, a group of four men barged into the house. One among them claimed to be the owner of the house and accused them of indulging in illegal activities.
The accused checked Sangeetha’s bag and pulled out a few sachets containing white powder, which the police said was baking soda.
The accused started shouting at the duo for possessing drugs and consuming it. They threatened to call police and file a complaint against the duo.
Sangeetha pleaded innocence, ran and locked herself inside the bathroom, crying that her life was ruined and she would end her life.
Meanwhile, the men began negotiating with the victim Rakesh demanding ₹15 lakh to settle the matter. The amount was brought it down to ₹2 lakh and the victim Rakesh borrowed part of the money from his friend and transferred it to a account mentioned by the accused.
The accused dropped the techie on a bike at an isolated place after he promised to arrange the rest of the money and transfer it to them.
The victim managed to reached home and discussed the matter with his friends who suggested that he approach the police after suspecting that something was amiss in the entire incident.
Based on the complaint, the police tracked down the accused based on the money trail.
A probe revealed that Sharanabasappa is a habitual offender involved in a similar crime in 2023 in Puttenahalli police station limits.
Sangeetha used to work at a dance bar and ganged up with the accused to honeytrap people, the police said.
The police suspect that the accused might have cheated other people and investigation is on to ascertain their criminal background.
Published – July 28, 2025 09:11 pm IST
