Mysore/Mysuru: Bengaluru Central Crime Branch (CCB) Police have arrested two persons on charges of blackmailing influential people by honey trapping them using morphed videos and the Cops have seized one mobile phone and a pen drive from them.

According to the press release from Bengaluru CCB Police, those arrested are Santosh alias Suresh Rajan and Puttaraju. The Police have launched a hunt to nab Naveen and others.

One of the arrested was earlier running a flesh trade racket and used to videograph the                              sexual acts.

Later, they used to target influential people, morph the sexual act videos, blackmail the people by telling them that they had videos of them involved in sexual acts, threaten the people by saying that they would upload the videos on social media platforms and tried to extort money from the people, which the Police came to know during interrogation.

It is learnt that the accused had blackmailed businessmen, doctors, engineers and professors residing in Chamaraja Constituency and had also allegedly threatened the Constituency MLA K. Harishgowda. Based on the complaint lodged by the MLA on June 10, the Police have arrested the two persons.

Details: In 2019, accused Santosh had introduced himself to the MLA as a realtor and a contractor while Naveen had introduced himself as an advocate. The duo, along with a few women, began attending events in which the MLA used to participate and used to click photos and make videos of influential people with the women they had taken along with them.

The accused, with the help of the women used to collect the phone numbers, call them and ask them about their next event, go to the event along with the women and click photos and make videos there also.

They later used to send the photos and videos of influential people with women to them and blackmail them for money. If the person refuses to pay the money, the accused used to threaten them of sending the photos and videos to their family members and relatives besides threatening to upload photos and videos on various social media platforms and extort money, according to the complaint lodged by MLA Harishgowda.

The complaint further stated that the MLA, who came to know about Santosh and Naveen indulging in blackmailing, objected to it and warned them that he would lodge a Police compliant against them during which the accused showed a couple of photos related to him (MLA) and demanded money from him also failing which they threatened of sending the photos and videos to his friends and family members.

The accused had also threatened of harming his dignity if he approached the Police besides threatening him of lodging a rape case through the women.

Based on the above complaint, the Police have arrested the two persons and are on the lookout for others.

Many blackmailed in Mysuru’s Chamaraja Constituency; MLA lodges complaint

I have not been honey trapped. People known to me who are leading a decent life were being honey trapped and blackmailed. I lodged a Police complaint to stop such activities in my Constituency. Eight to 10 people residing in my Constituency were honey trapped. They are known to me. Some of them are doctors, businessmen, engineers and professors who have been blackmailed. Though the accused are from Mysuru, I have not seen them nor do I know them. The Police have arrested the two persons based on the mobile phone numbers and are investigating. Apart from Mysuru, the accused were also active in Bengaluru, hence I lodged a complaint in Bengaluru. —K. Harishgowda, Chamaraja MLA