Group of seven blackmail and trap bank loan recovery agent

Highlights: Fed up of the threats, the victim approached the police and registered a complaint

BENGALURU: A bank loan recovery agent had been allegedly forced by a gang of seven unidentified people including four women in a suspected honey trap case. 

One of the accused woman had called the victim to tell him to collect the EMI of a loan which was availed by a friend of the woman. Without any suspicion the recovery agent as directed, went to the house of the woman where, about six people, who claimed to belong to the media and women organisations, forced him to pose for pictures and videos with the woman and then blackmailed him. 

They then demanded Rs one lakh from him to stop the photos from reaching the media. If he failed to pay, they threatened him by contacting the police and telecast the incriminating photos and videos on TV channels. 

The woman who called the victim has been identified as Sangeetha. Some of the others accused have been identified as Ganesh, Lakshmamma, Jayamma, Girish and Ganavi Gowda.

“The victim claims to have been working as a loan recovery agent in a multi-national bank. The incident happened on Friday. The victim said he received a call on his mobile from Sangeetha, asking him to collect the EMI from her. The woman met him near the Mariyappanapalya bus stop and asked him to accompany her to her house in Nagadevanahalli because she had left the money in her house. Once he reached her house, her partners-in-crime locked the door and forced him to pose for photos and videos in compromising positions. They said they would leak these photos to TV channels to prove that he was running a prostitution racket. They made one of the cheques for Rs one lakh and threatened to file a false cheque bounce case if he did not arrange the money within a day. After returning one of his mobile phones, the accused let him go. Then they started calling him from his other mobile phone, demanding money. The accused who claimed to be from the media have reportedly showed him fake press cards. The gang further demanded that he pay Rs five lakhs as penalty since he was not paying up the one lakh rupees,” said an officer who is a part of the investigations.

Fed up of the threats, the victim approached the police and registered a complaint. The Jnanabharathi police have registered a case of ransom (IPC 385), dacoity (IPC 395), cheating by personation (IPC 419), wrongful confinement (IPC 342) and criminal intimidation (IPC 506) against the seven accused. The police have said that a few members of the gang have already been taken into custody.