Bengaluru woman cheated of lakhs after online search for spa ends in extortion scam

The victim, filed a complaint with the South-East Cyber Economic and Narcotics Police after realising he had been extorted.

A 47-year-old software professional from Bengaluru was allegedly duped of ₹1.56 lakh by a woman pretending to be a police officer inside a hotel room in Koramangala. The victim, who works with a multinational company, filed a complaint with the South-East Cyber Economic and Narcotics (CEN) Police after realising he had been extorted.

Bengaluru woman scammed of ₹1.56 lakh in spa search turned sting fraud by 'fake cop'. (Unsplash )

Reportedly, the complainant, a resident of Seshadripuram, had checked into a Koramangala hotel on 3 November for personal reasons. While there, he looked up spa services online and got in touch with a woman who identified herself as Anshi Achari. She agreed to visit his hotel room, as per a report by Deccan Herald (DH).

On arrival, the woman, wearing a face mask, asked him about the services he wanted. When he mentioned a body massage, she quickly made a phone call to her male associate, who posed as a cybercrime officer.

The man claimed that Anshi was also a police official in plain clothes and that they were conducting a sting operation against him for allegedly seeking illegal services.

The woman then removed her mask, while the man threatened the techie with criminal action under Section 386 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with extortion and carries a sentence of up to six years in jail. They demanded ₹5 lakh to “settle” the issue.

Fearing arrest, the victim agreed to pay ₹3 lakh and transferred ₹1.56 lakh immediately, citing his daily transfer limit. The duo left soon after, asking him to pay the balance the following day.

Later, realising that he had fallen prey to an extortion racket, the man approached the police. Officers have traced the contact number used by the accused woman, which is currently switched off.

The victim told police that the duo spoke in both Hindi and English while intimidating him.