Nagpur: In a major breakthrough, the Nagpur City Police Crime Branch’s Anti-Housebreaking Squad has busted a sextortion and honeytrap racket, arresting seven accused who allegedly extorted money from a senior citizen by threatening to make private videos public.

According to police, the crime took place between September 5, 2025 and December 18, 2025, within the jurisdiction of Tehsil police station. The 62-year-old complainant, a resident of the area, was allegedly lured into a honeytrap by the accused, who secretly recorded private videos and later threatened to circulate them on social media unless money was paid.

The arrested accused have been identified as Ashwin Vinod Dhanvijay (39), Nitin Sukhdev Kamble (38), Kunal Prakash Puri (42), all residents of Ajni, Nagpur; Ritesh alias Pappu Manohar Durugkar (41) of Hudkeshwar, Nagpur; Ashish Madhukar Kavade (36) and Avinash Hemraj Sakhare (35), both residents of Gondia district; along with Ravikant Kamble of Nagpur. Police also stated that four women were involved in the racket.

Investigations revealed that the accused, acting in collusion, extorted ₹1.78 lakh from the complainant through online transfers and cash. They later allegedly demanded an additional ₹2 crore. Following negotiations, the accused agreed to accept ₹60 lakh as a “settlement,” after which the victim approached the Crime Branch office and narrated the entire incident.

Under the guidance of Assistant Commissioner of Police Abhijit Patil, a special team of the Crime Branch Anti-Housebreaking Squad laid a trap. On December 18, 2025, when the accused called the complainant to a hotel to collect part of the amount, they initially sent him with ₹3 lakh. However, accused numbers 1 to 3 insisted on the full ₹60 lakh. At that point, the Crime Branch team swooped in and took them into custody. Based on their interrogation, the remaining accused were also detained.

Police seized cash and mobile phones of various companies worth a total of ₹1.56 lakh from the accused. Based on the complaint, PSI Pallavi Gosavi of Tehsil police station registered a case under Sections 308(2), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The accused have been handed over to Tehsil police for further legal action, and investigations are ongoing.

This operation was carried out under the guidance of Police Commissioner Ravindrakumar Singal, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vasant Pardeshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Rahul Maknikar, and Assistant Commissioner of Police Abhijit Patil. The action team included PI Dilip Chandan, API Nitin Chulpar, PSI Nitin Tiwari, and other Crime Branch personnel.

Meanwhile, Nagpur City Police have appealed to citizens to come forward if they have been targeted or cheated through similar honeytrap or sextortion methods. Victims can approach the nearest police station, the Crime Branch, or contact the police control room at 0712-2561222 or 0712-2561333.