JOIN USThe police have arrested a former police informant for robbing and extorting unmarried couples who stayed at hotels, especially along the IT/BT belt of the city.
The arrested, Mahendra Kumar (27), is a resident of Kanakadasa Layout in Banaswadi, the police said.
DH had reported this in its June 22 edition, titled ‘Extortion gang targets couples checking into hotels’.
The investigation revealed that Kumar had a gang of girls for honey trapping.
They contacted software engineers on social media platforms and lured them to become friends. The girls would be in touch with them through chatting messengers or WhatsApp after exchanging phone numbers, said a senior police officer. Then they would go on a date, after which they end up staying in a hotel room. The woman used to send her location and room number to Kumar. Claiming that he belonged to a fringe outfit, Kumar would ask them if they are married. He would then extort from his victims.
Following a complaint from a techie who stayed with his girlfriend at a hotel in Marthahalli, the police suspected the girl to be part of Kumar’s gang. But she turned out to be from another gang.
Kumar was arrested on June 18. He was produced before a magistrate, and his custody was given to the police for 10 days. While in custody, Kumar confessed that he had committed at least 40 to 50 such extortions.