A 27-year-old man was arrested on Monday while police have launched a search for his accomplices after they allegedly cheated a 19-year-old woman of Rs 45 lakh and sexually exploited her by promising her a career in modelling. The victim, a college student, was approached by a man called Hardik on Instagram, who claimed to be a representative of a well-known production house and promised her roles in TV shows. Hardik introduced the woman to his associate Rahul Chavan, who demanded money for registration and portfolio creation. She paid Rs 19,997 and later shelled out Rs 20,000. Later, when Hardik told her she would have to pay Rs 1 lakh for a proper portfolio, she said she didn’t have the money. On persuasion by the accused, the student got gold jewellery from home without telling her family members and gave it to him. He told her that she would soon earn large sums as a model and get the jewellery back. Over time, under various pretexts, the accused kept asking for money and the student kept getting jewellery from her residence. She told the police that on the pretext of photoshoots, the accused also sexually exploited her. Later, Hardik, along with two other partners with whom she communicated with on social media platforms, started blackmailing her with her intimate videos. The woman finally confided in her mother, who accompanied her to the police station and filed a complaint. An FIR was registered on charges of “extortion and having sexual intercourse by employing deceitful means”. A police officer said so far, in terms of cash and jewellery, the victim ended up paying Rs 45 lakh to the accused. Senior inspector Datta Khandagle said they arrested one Rahul Chavan (27) from Khar-Danda on Monday. “We have found that it was Chavan who had created the other IDs through which he chatted with the girl. We are checking if he has defrauded anyone else in a similar manner,” said the officer.
