Honey trap case: 3-yrs RI for 8-member gang

Mangaluru: The fourth district additional and sessions court on Wednesday sentenced eight persons including two women to three years of rigorous imprisonment after they were found guilty of honey trapping a retired banker.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 6,000 each on the convicted persons namely – Shilpa (23), Avinash (21) from Konaje, Yatish (27), Ranjith (19) from Kuttarpadavu, Nithin (19) from Deralakatte, Srijith (20) from Konaje, Sachin (19) from Bondel and Trupthi (21) from Kotekar.

The convicted Shilpa and the professor used to stay in the same building located near Shreedevi college. On September 18, 2016 she and Trupti went to the banker house on the pretext of getting trained for bank examinations. No sooner the women had entered his house, the other members of the gang barged into the house and took pictures of the retired banker in compromising positions with Trupti. The gang later threatened to upload pictures on social media if he didn’t pay them Rs 1 lakh.

They also made away with his son’s two-wheeler RC and two signed blank cheques and over Rs 2,000 in cash from his apartment. Not succumbing to their blackmail threats, the banker approached the police. A case was filed with Mangaluru North police station and charge sheet was filed by then investigating Officer K K Ramakrishna.

After hearing the arguments from Public Prosecutor Harish Chandra Udiawar and examining 10 witnesses in the case, Judge Ramalinge Gowda held the gang members guilty under section 120(b) (hatching conspiracy), sec 448 (trespassing), 395 (dacoity) and 506 (Death threat) of IPC.