Cops bust gang of four who extorted money from businessmen, arrest 2

GURUGRAM: The police on Friday arrested a 35-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man from Sector 27, thereby busting a gang of at least four members, who allegedly targeted businessmen and threatened to implicate them in false cases of sexual assault if they did not pay them extortion money.

The suspected woman had demanded ₹50 lakh from a businessman by threatening to implicate him in a false rape case, but had later settled for ₹6 lakh. A team from Sector 51 police station was formed, who caught the woman red-handed while collecting the money from the victim at a drinking place (ahata) in Sector 27.

The suspects were identified as Shivani alias Priya of Rajasthan and Ajay Kumar of Sector 65. They were arrested from the drinking place, where they had set up a meeting with the victim and his cousin brother to collect the money.

Police commissioner Muhammad Akil said the gang members used to meet men through their friends and used to get friendly

with them. Later, they used to call them home or ask them to take them out. “It is a four-member gang, including an advocate at the district and sessions court, who used to help the woman to trap professionals from DelhiNCR. The gang used different techniques to extort money from people,” he said, adding that two other members of the gang are yet to be identified.

According to the police, the complainant had met the woman through a common friend and befriended her. Later they started regularly meeting and going out. The suspect last month called him to a hotel room and later registered a false rape case against him on October 25 at the Sector 51 police station.

She later started calling him and invited him to her rented accommodation. She further alleged that he had molested her daughter, the police said, adding that the victim received a call from the woman, who told him that she was thinking of approaching the policethen . This scared the victim and he switched off his mobile phone, the police said.

Based on her complaint, the police said a case of rape was registered at the women police station.

Akil said the complainant then contacted his cousin brother for help and narrated his ordeal following which they met the woman and requested her to take her complaint back. “She then demanded ₹50 lakh and asked for an advance that would prompt her not record her statement before the magistrate in the district and sessions court,” he said.

The cousin brother of the businessman recorded their conversation and approached the police, who then laid a trap Meanwhile, Ajay, the other suspect, allegedly called the man and introduced himself as the woman’s lawyer. He demanded ₹35 lakh to settle the matter and called the victim and his cousin brother to a restaurant in Sector 27 for a meeting, where again the conversation was recorded by the victim’s brother.

Akil said the police laid a trap and when the gang members came to collect the money, they were arrested. The cash was also recovered from their possession.

A case under sections 384 and 389 of the IPC was registered at the women police station. The suspects were produced before the district and sessions court and were sent to judicial custody on Saturday.