Assam: Honey-trapping racket busted in Jorhat, five arrested
Jorhat Police have busted a honey-trapping and extortion racket, arresting five people including two women after a bank manager was blackmailed.
The Jorhat Police have successfully dismantled an alleged honey-trapping and extortion syndicate in Assam, leading to the arrest of five individuals, including two women. The crackdown follows a harrowing ordeal faced by a private bank manager from Tinsukia, who was targeted through social media and subsequently blackmailed for large sums of money.
The Instagram Trap
The investigation was triggered after the bank manager approached the Jorhat Police on October 2, filing a formal complaint. According to the police, the victim's ordeal began in July when he established contact with a woman on Instagram. What started as a digital interaction eventually blossomed into a relationship, which the police allege was a calculated move to lure him into a trap.
On August 14, the woman reportedly called the bank manager to Jorhat. Arriving in the city around 1 am, the victim met her and was taken to a rented residence in the Seoni Ali area. It was there that the trap was sprung. As the victim entered the premises, two men allegedly arrived and recorded him inside the house, using the footage as leverage for extortion.
Extortion and Escalating Demands
The criminals allegedly used the recorded video to threaten the bank manager, claiming they would circulate the footage on social media and send it to his family members to ruin his reputation. The group initially demanded Rs 2 lakh, which the victim paid out of fear. However, the extortion did not stop there.
The accused continued to squeeze the victim, demanding an additional Rs 1 lakh, which was also paid. In total, the bank manager handed over Rs 3 lakh before the gang made a fresh demand for Rs 5 lakh. Realizing he could not satisfy the endless demands, the victim finally turned to the authorities for help.
Police Crackdown and Arrests
Following instructions from the Jorhat Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a dedicated team led by Officer-in-Charge Hrishikesh Hazarika launched an investigation. The police first apprehended two youths, Sanjib Das and Ankit Paul, from the Garmur area on October 2. Both were subsequently sent to judicial custody.
As the probe deepened, investigators identified Moromi Das Neog as a central figure in the racket. After a manhunt that took police to Dibrugarh, she was successfully arrested. The police also took another woman, Baby Bora, and her husband, Ankit Bora, into custody, bringing the total number of arrests to five.
A Wider Network Suspected
The Jorhat Sadar Police Station has registered a case and is currently analyzing seized mobile phones and digital evidence to uncover the full extent of the operation. Officer-in-Charge Hrishikesh Hazarika described the incident as a "pure case of honey-trapping."
Police officials suspect that this group may have employed the same modus operandi against several other victims. Investigators believe the syndicate specifically targets financially stable individuals, including businessmen and employees from both government and private sectors. Efforts are now underway to identify other potential victims and dismantle the entire network.