Bengaluru man honey-trapped, extorted of ₹1.5 lakh after booking escort service online

Bengaluru: A private firm employee in Bengaluru was allegedly honey-trapped and extorted of over ₹1.5 lakh after booking an escort service online. The South East Cyber Crime Police have registered a case against a woman under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the IT Act.

According to the complaint, the victim came across a woman named Anshi on a website offering escort services and contacted her through a mobile number listed there. After a brief exchange of messages, they agreed to meet at a hotel in Koramangala, where the man booked a room for the meeting.

Shortly after they met, the woman made a phone call, and a man claiming to be a cyber crime officer arrived. He alleged that the woman was also an undercover officer and told the victim that he could be arrested and imprisoned for up to six years for soliciting escort services.

The so-called officer then demanded ₹5 lakh to “settle the matter,” which the victim negotiated down to ₹3 lakh. The woman provided bank details and a QR code, and the victim transferred ₹1.56 lakh through multiple online payments before reaching his daily transaction limit.

The accused also recorded a video of the victim admitting to availing escort services and promising to pay the remaining amount, threatening to release the video on social media if he failed to do so.

Distressed, the victim confided in his friends, who advised him to approach the police. Acting on his complaint, the cyber crime police have launched an investigation to track down the accused.