Sri Vijaya Puram, February 18 Three women and a man were arrested in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for allegedly blackmailing a person by using his partially undressed photos and videos, obtained through trickery, to extort money, police said on Wednesday.
The man reportedly met one of the women through a dating app and was allegedly lured to a house near Dhanikhari Junction in Sri Vijaya Puram for a coffee meeting, according to the complaint filed with the CID's Crime and Economic Offences Wing.
In the complaint, the man alleged that he was offered a soft drink laced with sedatives, which caused him to lose consciousness. When he regained consciousness, he found himself partially undressed with two women and a man allegedly taking his videos and photographs.
"The accused allegedly threatened to frame him in a false case and create a public scandal. He was also warned that the videos and photographs would be shared with his family members. He was wrongfully confined and coerced into transferring Rs 50,000 through UPI," a senior officer said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the racket had allegedly been operating on the island for several years, and several people may have been targeted in a similar manner, he said.
The accused were subsequently arrested by the CID on Tuesday, and a court remanded them in judicial custody, he added.
"Anyone who may have been targeted in a similar way should immediately contact the Crime and Economic Offences Wing for legal assistance," the officer said.
