Insta 'friendship' turns trap: Woman held in Rs 12L extortion case

Jaipur: The city police arrested a 23-year-old woman wanted for allegedly extorting over Rs 12 lakh from a resident after befriending him on Instagram. DCP (West) Hanuman Prasad Meena said that the accused, Sheetal Bharti, a native of Madhya Pradesh, frequently changed her locations between Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to evade arrest.

He said that on Oct 5 last year, a man lodged a report at the Bindayaka police station. He alleged that he met a woman on Instagram who introduced herself as Anamika, but was later identified as Sheetal, while Anamika was her sister. Sheetal struck a friendship with the complainant, gradually built a relationship, and conspired with others to extort money from him.

According to the FIR, Sheetal and her associates invited the complainant home, offered him lunch, and later took him to a hotel. On Dec 4, 2021, she manipulated him into transferring Rs 1.53 lakh to her and her sister Anamika's accounts. Sheetal would also visit him in Jaipur with her sister, alias Neha, and their friend Naina. She secretly recorded an obscene video of him without consent and used it for blackmail, threatening to circulate it on social media.

Over time, the accused and her aides extorted about Rs 8 lakh online, Rs 4.5 lakh in cash, and gadgets worth Rs 4.3 lakh. She and Chouksey also took three mobile phones and other electronics from him. Later, the gang demanded an additional Rs 50 lakh, threatening him with false legal cases under women-related and narcotics offences.

Police registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS and IT Act. A team was formed under ACP (West) Alok Singhal to trace the accused. While two accused were earlier arrested, Sheetal evaded capture for two years. Using cyber cell inputs, police finally tracked and arrested her.