Five Arrested Including Ringleader of Honeytrap Gang That Lured, Held and Blackmailed Victims
The Detective Branch's Wari division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested five people, including the ringleader of a honeytrap gang, in a raid in the capital's Turag police station area. Three of those arrested are men and two are women.
Additional Police Commissioner (DB) Md Shafiqul Islam gave the information at a press conference held at the DMP Media Centre on Sunday (25 October) afternoon.
The arrestees are Jeet Bhakta alias Abdur Rahman, Pritam Biswas alias Anik Sheikh, Arthajit Bhakta alias Siddhartha, Sabrin Kabir Prema alias Neha and Sadia Yasmin alias Mahi. According to police, Jeet Bhakta alias Abdur Rahman is the gang's ringleader.
Five mobile phones, three blank cheques and a torture belt were recovered from the arrestees during the raid. Police accounts suggest these seizures give an idea of how the gang operated.
Shafiqul Islam said the gang's female members would use fake identities on social media to build romantic relationships with wealthy men, including middle-aged and older businessmen. Once the relationship deepened, the victims would be lured to a designated flat or hotel room.
When a victim reached that flat or hotel room, the gang's male members would take him hostage. He would be threatened and also physically tortured, police said.
Alongside the torture, photographs and videos of the victims in compromising situations would be recorded. Money would then be extorted by threatening to publish those images and videos — the gang's main method of extracting money.
Preliminary investigation also found that the blackmail did not stop after one payment; money would be demanded again by threatening with the same photographs and videos. Victims therefore faced the risk of being forced to pay repeatedly.
To evade the attention of law enforcement, gang members frequently changed their flats and hideouts. Police said they also used SIM cards registered under fake names and fake social media accounts.
The use of multiple aliases is clear from the list of arrestees — almost each of them has more than one name. Those false identities made it difficult for victims to identify the gang.
The DMP has urged city residents to remain cautious in using social media. It has also advised anyone who falls victim to fraud or blackmail to inform the police quickly.
Police said DMP detective surveillance and raids to prevent such crimes are continuing. The next legal steps against the arrestees, and whether anyone else is involved with the gang, are expected to emerge in the investigation.
