Khargone, February 8 Police in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district on Sunday exposed a honeytrap and blackmailing racket, arresting five people, including three women, allegedly involved in the illegal activity, an official said.
The gang is alleged to have extorted lakhs of rupees from nearly 40 people over the past year, police said.
Acting on a complaint by a man who allegedly had to pay Rs 2.5 lakh to the accused, Sanawad police station in-charge Dharmendra Yadav led an operation and apprehended the accused, the official said.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer Archana Rawat told reporters that the women members of the gang initially lured victims through conversations and later called them to meet.
During the meetings, the official said, other members of the gang secretly recorded objectionable videos of the victims and later extorted money from them by threatening to make the clips viral or implicate them in false cases.
She said that police are questioning the accused and making efforts to trace other people linked to the racket.