A woman’s complaint about her missing husband led police to uncover an alleged honeytrap and blackmail conspiracy involving a rape complaint, explicit videos and an alleged attempt to force the transfer of land worth over ₹1 crore in Lucknow, police said on Saturday.
According to police, the case came to light on April 29 when a woman approached Gosaiganj police station alleging that her husband, Hari Om, had gone missing after being taken away on the pretext of a land deal.
During her search, the woman traced him to a hotel, where he was found unconscious under suspicious circumstances.
“A day later, the case took a dramatic turn when a woman, identified as Akansha, filed a rape complaint at Sushant Golf City police station, naming Hari Om as the accused. The parallel complaints raised red flags, prompting a deeper probe by the police,” said Vasanth Rallapalli, ADCP South.
Police said Akansha allegedly worked as a receptionist for property dealer Sunil Shukla, who investigators suspect was the main conspirator behind the alleged plot. CCTV footage from the hotel became a crucial breakthrough in the investigation.
“Both incidents were investigated very seriously. CCTV footage from the hotel showed that Hari Om was brought there in an unconscious state by four individuals,” said Amit K Anand, DCP (South), Lucknow.
Investigators found that Hari Om appeared incapacitated and was not in control when he was taken into the hotel premises.
During questioning, one of the accused allegedly revealed that the sequence of events, including the rape complaint filed by Akansha, was part of a planned conspiracy allegedly orchestrated by Sunil Shukla.
Police said the alleged motive was to pressure Hari Om into transferring land worth more than ₹1 crore.
According to police, Hari Om had been in talks to sell the property, but his wife had refused to proceed with the deal. Police suspect this led the accused to allegedly devise a coercion plan.
On April 28, Hari Om was allegedly lured by acquaintances from his village, identified as Raju and Narendra, and made to consume alcohol.
Police said he was then allegedly drugged, rendering him unconscious, and taken to a hotel room, where explicit photos and videos were allegedly recorded with the involvement of Akansha to facilitate blackmail.
“The plan was to threaten the victim and his family with the footage and a rape case to force the land transfer,” the ADCP added.
The alleged plot began to unravel after Hari Om’s wife reported him missing and later located him unconscious, allowing police to reconstruct the chain of events.
“During the investigation, police recovered incriminating photos and videos from the mobile phone of one of the accused, corroborating the conspiracy,” police said.
Sunil Shukla and Akansha Pandey have been arrested in connection with the case, while two other accused, Raju and Narendra, are absconding. Police said teams have been deployed to trace and arrest the remaining suspects.
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