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The situation escalated when the young woman initiated a video call. Then, along with her partner, she extorted him by threatening to share the screen recordings publicly
The police have arrested the couple identified as Sojan and Shemi, both natives of Kollam’s Anchalummood. (News18 Malayalam)
A trader in Kerala’s Thissur district, lost a huge amount of money due to a honeytrap. The elderly man, Vyodhikan, from Poonkunnam area of Thrissur city, was extorted by a couple who threatened to expose his involvement in sex chats and video calls on WhatsApp.
The police arrested the couple identified as Sojan and Shemi, natives of Kollam’s Anchalummood. It has been found that they had devised a plan to deceive the old man.
Two years ago, the woman befriended the 63-year-old businessman through social media. It began with a simple “Hi”. When the man responded, Shemi introduced herself as Avni, a 23-year-old student residing in a hostel. As their conversations continued, she began asking him for money, citing various reasons, starting with hostel fees. Gradually, the amount she requested kept increasing.
The situation escalated when she initiated a video call. Upon answering, the man realised there was a young woman on the other end. Subsequently, the couple started extorting money from him, threatening to record the video call screen and share it on social media and with his wife. The man ended up transferring Rs 1.5 crore, which came from the sale of his wife’s land, to the woman.
The incident came to light when the elderly man’s son grew suspicious. A complaint was lodged with the police, who traced the call records and identified Shemi. Further investigation revealed that the fraudulent money had been transferred to the account of her husband, Sojan’s, parents. The police froze four accounts, including those belonging to Sojan and Shemi’s parents.
Realising that the police were closing in, the couple attempted to flee the country. However, the police tracked their location through their mobile tower and apprehended them.
- Location :
Thrissur, India