Punjab: Five people, including a woman, have been arrested in Hanumangarh for blackmailing a pickup van driver by forcibly taking him to a house where they made obscene videos and extorted money from him. Hanumangarh Superintendent of Police Arshad Ali said the arrests were made following an investigation into a complaint lodged by the victim, Kalu Singh. He said the accused have been identified as Priyanka (24), Ram Pal Nayak (20), Dinesh Meghwal (20), Mukesh (23) and Rajesh Nayak (30). The victim told police that he had received a call from a woman who claimed she needed household goods transported. After the fare was fixed, he was asked to meet her at a spot near Anaaj Mandi at 5 pm.
She asked him to go to a nearby house where several people were already waiting. His clothes were forcibly removed and Rs 9,700 and his mobile phone were snatched from him. The woman then started indulging in obscene acts with Singh while others recorded videos and photographs of the incident. Desperate to escape, Singh somehow transferred Rs 15,000 to a contact via QR code; but the criminals demanded another Rs 55,000. Fearing for his life, Singh managed to escape and returned home. The next day, Kalu Singh reported the incident to the police. Acting on his complaint, a case was registered under Sections 308 (2) and 308 (6) of the BNS.
