Bengaluru techie honeytrapped via dating app: Gang extorts Rs 2lakh on drug charge; ‘MDMA’ turns out to be baking soda | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: A gang of six, including a woman, was arrested by Yelahanka police for allegedly extorting Rs 2 lakh from a techie in a honeytrap case recently. She befriended him on a dating app.The arrested are identified as Sangeeta Sahni, 36, a resident of JP Nagar; Sharanabasappa Baliger, 50; Raju Maane, 34; Shyam Sundar, 20; Abhishek, 19; and Beerbal Majjagi, 21.According to deputy commissioner of police (northeast) Sajeeth VJ, private firm employee Rakesh Reddy filed a complaint with Yelahanka police, stating that the woman befriended him on Bumble on July 17 and later, they met in a mall opposite Yelahanka police station.She took him to a house in Ramagondanahalli where they drank alcohol, the complaint said. While they were partying, a group of four people entered the house and accused them of using drugs. They took out a packet of white powder, which they claimed was MDMA, from her bag.The gang told Rakesh that they would get him arrested for drug peddling and extorted Rs 2 lakh from him online. Police, who received the complaint, collected the account number of the accused to which the money was transferred. With the help of the call details record (CDR) and CCTV cameras in the surrounding places, they nabbed the gang.Police found it was a trap laid for Rakesh. Sharanabasappa was allegedly involved in a similar honeytrap case registered at Puttenahalli police station in the south division of Bengaluru in 2023. After coming out of prison, he teamed up with the other accused persons who worked as painters and plumbers, the investigation revealed. Sangeeta, a native of Uttar Pradesh, had earlier worked in a dance bar. The house in Ramagondanahalli was rented by the accused to honeytrap people.Sharanabasappa, Raju, and Shyam have been taken into police custody, while Sangeeta and two others have been remanded in judicial custody. A senior officer said the gang trapped a few others and extorted money, but they have not filed complaints. The victims are being contacted for their statements. During the investigation, police found that the white powder found in Sangeeta’s bag was not MDMA; instead, it was baking soda.