BALANGIR : Balangirpolice arrested two persons, supposedly siblings, for allegedly blackmailing a 65-year-old retired teacher of Sagar colony by clicking fake pictures of him in compromising position and threatening to make them viral on social media. The accused were identified as Biswamitra Barik (35) and Lalita (30).
According to sources, Biswamitra and Lalita had approached the victim, Syama Sundara Mishra a month back requesting him to give his house on rent to their relatives. When Mishra agreed, the duo paid him an advance of `4,000. However, few days later, they invited Mishra to their house for some reason and offered him lemon water which was reportedly mixed with a sedative. After drinking it, Mishra fell unconscious. In the meantime, Biswamitra had clicked a few pictures of Mishra with Lalita. When he regained sense, the duo started blackmailing him for money by showing the pictures further threatening to leak them on social media.
With no option, Mishra paid them `80,000 and `2.20 lakh in two instalments but the duo kept asking for more money. Stressed and unable to afford more money, Mishra left home to end life. After his family located him near the railway station, he narrated the entire incident and a police complaint was lodged.
When the accused came to know about the police complaint, they went to lodge a counter complaint against Mishra alleging that he had raped Lalita. But police immediately arrested them and during investigation recovered `1.70 lakh from their possession.
On further inquiry, police found that the duo was from Sonepur and had such antecedents in the past. They were produced in court on Monday. Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Balangir, Tofan Bag said that they issued an advisory asking people not to rent their homes to unidentified people.