Police arrest four including a woman for duping people by blackmailing them 

Police arrested four persons including a woman from here for duping many people by blackmailing them, an officer said on Friday.

Bhubaneswar: Police arrested four persons including a woman from here for duping many people by blackmailing them, an officer said on Friday.

ACP (Zone-5) of Commissionerate Police, Pradeep Rout said police arrested the four and seized a cheque of Rs 9 lakh, Rs 30,000 cash, a knife and two mobile phones from their possession.

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A small-time vendor, a doctor and a student were among the victims, blackmailed by the woman and her gang. They have filed a police complaint at Tamando police station.

Tamando police station Inspector-in-charge Subhrakanta Jena said the woman developed friendship with different people on social media and invited them to her home on different dates. When they visit her home, the gang extorted money threatening to lodge a false ‘rape case’ and tarnish their image, he said.

The small-time vendor said, “On September 2, she shared her mobile number with me and invited me to her house on the same day. When I entered her house, she took me to the bedroom. Suddenly two men came and demanded Rs 20,000 from me.” The gang forcefully took his gold ring, and Rs 3300 from him, he said.

A similar incident happened to the doctor on September 8. The victim, a medical officer posted in Jajpur district, reluctantly agreed to visit the woman, who telephoned him pretending to be sick.

As soon as the doctor reached her house, the woman her husband along with the other two associates locked the door, snatched his phone and demanded Rs 25 lakh from him at knifepoint while threatening to lodge a false ‘rape case’, the police said.

According to the police, the woman forcibly transferred Rs 1 lakh from the doctor’s account to her account through UPI, while the accused collected Rs 9 lakh in cheque from his home.