The Goa police have busted an interstate extortion operation involving beauticians recruited by a criminal gang for ‘honey trapping’ wealthy businessmen visiting Goa from Gujarat.
The gang, comprising at least 15 women, a lawyer, and middlemen, followed instructions from a woman imprisoned in Gujarat on a murder charge. They filed three false FIRs in Goa, using threats of false rape accusations for extortion.
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The investigation began when similar complaints from Gujarat women alleging rape and sexual assault were received by the police, later found to be false.
For instance, on August 22, a beautician, her ‘cousin,’ and their ‘driver,’ all from Gujarat, visited North Goa’s Calangute police station. The woman accused a Gujarat businessman of sexual assault at a North Goa hotel. Later that day, they settled for Rs 2 lakh, and the complainant decided not to pursue legal action.
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Two days later, the same trio went to the Colvale police station in North Goa to file another complaint. This time, the ‘cousin’ claimed to be a victim, with the beautician as her friend. They alleged a Gujarat contractor, whom she met on her flight to Goa, had sexually assaulted her at a resort. The police filed an FIR based on her complaint, leading to the contractor’s arrest. Concurrently, another woman from the gang made a similar rape complaint against a Gujarat businessman.
“The complaints had common links and profiles of the women were similar. All alleged victims and accused hailed from Gujarat and had travelled to Goa. A woman would typically get acquainted with a rich businessman in Gujarat on a dating app, they would travel to Goa, and then the crime would take place… it seemed suspicious,” said a police officer, as reported by Indian Express.
A special investigative team, established to look into the complaints, summoned one of the businessmen who had ‘settled’ a complaint by transferring Rs 2 lakh via Google Pay to one of the gang members outside a police station.
He informed the police that he had connected with a woman claiming to be a beautician from Gujarat on a dating app. After chatting for a while, she invited him to travel to Goa and meet her at a hotel in Calangute.
“At the hotel, they had sex… the next day, the woman told him to pay Rs 15 lakh or she would file a rape case,” said a police officer.
The police recorded his complaint and filed an FIR against the gang members under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 386 and 120B, related to extortion and criminal conspiracy.On August 28, three individuals, including the two women, were apprehended on extortion charges.
“During interrogation, the women said they were paid Rs 50,000 to have physical relations with businessmen. The gang targeted stockbrokers and businessmen from Gujarat. The women, recruited by a tout or a middleman, came from poor backgrounds and worked in salons and beauty parlors,” said a police official.
Last year in November, the gang targeted a Gujarati stockbroker, demanding Rs 10 crore to avoid a false rape case. When he refused, a complaint was filed, leading to his arrest. While in jail, the gang attempted to negotiate a compromise with his brother in Mumbai for Rs 5 lakh, which failed.
The gang was careful in arranging meetings and travel between Gujarat and Goa, often booking flights for both women and businessmen. They didn’t document encounters but relied on the threat of a rape complaint for extortion.
Police are investigating a woman in a Gujarat jail suspected to be the mastermind. She allegedly maintained contact with the gang through a smartphone. A Goa team will gather evidence, and more arrests are expected.
“We are gathering evidence to establish the role of this woman in the case. According to disclosures of the arrested persons, she was in touch with them from jail via a smartphone. A team from Goa will head to Gujarat to collect evidence. The gang also involved lawyers, who helped them in filing rape cases. More arrests are likely,” said a police officer.