Demand for more money foils blackmail bid, ‘honey trap gang’ lands in J&K police net

Excited about the meeting, Waseem took the leap and travelled to the address given by Asiya. The two met alone in the room, got talking and closed the door behind them. Within moments, they heard a knock on the door and only one of them was prepared for what followed next.

On July 20, the Srinagar police arrested four persons, including two women, allegedly part of a gang “honey trapping unsuspecting clients and blackmailing them for money”.

The accused — Mohammad Tariq Mir, Firdous Ahmed Mir, Masrat Mir and Asiya — allegedly manipulated their victims by assuming fake identities, such as mediapersons or police officers, to create scenarios for blackmail, said an official press release. One member of the gang is still absconding, the police said.

According to the police, when Waseem and Asiya opened the door, they found Mohammad Tariq Mir, posing as a mediaperson, standing with multiple mics in hand. “He began shaming the couple for ‘galat kaam (illegal activity)’ at their accommodation and said he had been tipped off to come to the room and check what was happening,” SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal told The Sunday Express.

An argument ensued and Tariq dialled his accomplices. In no time, three people, Firdous Ahmed Mir, Masrat Mir and another person whose identity is yet not known, arrived at the location. Firdous introduced himself as the “Superintendent of Police” of the area while Masrat posed as a Crime Branch officer. The third person, who is yet to be arrested, posed as a sub-inspector.

First they scared Waseem a bit about jail and after a while, the woman posing as a crime branch officer urged the fake SP to let him go “since they are all locals and should be helped”, said the police.

They checked his bank accounts and found Rs 20,000 in savings. “For some reason, the man (Waseem) agreed to give a cheque and asked a friend to bring his cheque book from home. His friend reached the Mehjoor Nagar residence with the cheque book and he gave them a cheque for Rs 20,000 without adding a name, as asked by the accused,” a police officer said.

The group asked Waseem for more money. “He (Waseem) then made a call to his family and asked for cash. Someone came to the address with Rs 10,000 and handed it to the group. Throughout this blackmail Asiya did not say much, said the police.

When the group asked for more money, Waseem called the family again. By this time, the family members got worried and informed the police.

A police team reached the address and arrested Firdous and Tariq from the spot. SSP Balwal said the rest had run away from the apartment. “We tracked them and found out about one of the women (Asiya). The two men initially claimed they did not know each other and the ‘reporter’ insisted that he was tipped off.”

The police convinced Asiya to come to the police station. “She said she has not done anything wrong and came on her own,” SSP Balwal said.

After she saw her two accomplices in custody, she began narrating the plan and the set up they had been using to “blackmail” people. Through her, the police called Masrat and the whole con unfolded.

“They (the accused) are contradicting timelines, so we cannot say right now how many more victims have been conned. We have sent their electronic devices for analysis and only when the report comes we will know more,” the SSP said.

The four accused are in police custody and the evidence, including the mics used by the “reporter”, the phones as well as the cheque given to them, have been recovered by the investigating officers.

The matter is currently under investigation and the group has been booked under Sections 392 (robbery), 472 (making or possessing counterfeit seal, etc., with intent to commit forgery) and 419 (punishment for cheating by personation) of the IPC, said the police.