KOCHI: In a case involving a honey trap, the Puthencruz police apprehended three individuals, including a woman, on Wednesday for extorting money from a young man after luring him through a dating app. The arrested individuals were identified as Prince, 23, from Mathilakam, Thrissur, his partner Aswathi, 25, and Anoop, 23, from Muzhikode, Kollam.
The victim, who worked at a private company in Kochi, engaged in conversation with a woman named Anu through a dating app, unaware that the profile was fake.
Anu claimed to be from Kolenchery and studying in Bengaluru. She invited the victim to meet her, stating that she had returned to Kolenchery for a vacation. The victim arrived at the Kolenchery bus stop as instructed.
As the victim waited for Anu, Prince and Anoop arrived in a car and approached him. Posing as Anu’s brothers, they interrogated him about sending messages to her. Using the threat of filing a police complaint, they compelled the victim to enter their vehicle. Once inside, they wielded a knife and an iron rod, coercing the victim to transfer Rs 23,000 from his bank account to the account of the perpetrators. Additionally, they forcibly took money from the victim’s wallet before leaving him stranded on the roadside.
Upon returning home, the victim shared the incident with his friend, who urged him to report it to the police. The Puthencruz police registered a case and initiated an investigation.
“By examining CCTV footage in the Kolenchery area, we were able to identify the vehicle used by the accused. With the assistance of the Cyber Police, we discovered that the accused individuals were in Kottayam. When the police arrived in Kottayam, they attempted to flee and even planned to leave the country. However, after a lengthy pursuit, we apprehended the accused near the Ramamangalam bridge,” stated a police official.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the accused had been honey-trapping multiple individuals through fake accounts on social media platforms, including various dating apps.