Gautam Buddha Nagar Police Bust Honey-Trapping Gang Involved in Extortion

The Gautam Buddha Nagar police successfully dismantled a notorious honey-trapping gang on Tuesday. The gang, consisting of a 38-year-old woman, her daughter, and her niece, along with three associates, was involved in a series of criminal activities. The police have apprehended the woman and her three accomplices. The gang operated by luring men into compromising situations and then extorting money from them by threatening false cases.

The mastermind behind this operation is identified as 38-year-old Kavita Chaudhary from Meerut. Shockingly, she used her minor daughter and niece to target unsuspecting individuals for financial gain. Two of her associates, Farooq (27) and Vishnu, also known as Damru (19), actively participated in the criminal activities, with Farooq even posing as a lawyer.

The case came to light when a 40-year-old man named Vikram Singh Negi filed a complaint at Surajpur police station. Negi claimed that he was coerced into paying Rs 1.63 lakh in cash and through the payment platform Paytm. He was deceived by the gang, who had promised him a meeting with a girl but instead threatened and blackmailed him.

Hirdesh Katheriya, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Noida), revealed that Kavita, along with her partner Farooq, her daughter, niece, and other women, used missed calls, messages, and social media to establish connections with their victims. Once they gained trust, they would take the victims to secluded areas and then force them to pay money by making false allegations of sexual harassment or rape.

During the investigation, it was discovered that Kavita had previously submitted a complaint under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act using her minor daughter. However, it was later revealed that she had reached a monetary settlement in exchange for dropping the charges.

Furthermore, Kavita had also lodged a false complaint at Surajpur police station, accusing a young man employed in her company of molesting her. Subsequent investigations found that the incident mentioned in the complaint was fabricated.

An official stated, “On 25.10.2023, an application was filed against a man at Police Station Beta-2 with serious allegations like rape/abortion. Later, the application was withdrawn after extorting around Rs 4 lakh. We are currently gathering information about their past criminal activities from other police stations.”

The police have registered an FIR at Surajpur police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 388 (extortion by threat of accusation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation).