Ramol police bust honey-trap gang posing as fake officers, three arrested

The Ramol Police Station on Wednesday arrested three men allegedly involved in a honey-trap racket in which victims were lured by women accomplices and later threatened by persons posing as police officers.

According to Ramol police, the accused allegedly conspired with women associates to entrap individuals and extort large sums of money by threatening to implicate them in fabricated criminal cases.

The arrested persons have been identified as Upesh alias Kano Shantibhai Sarvaiya (31), originally from Amreli district and currently residing in Surat; Hiten alias Babu Mukeshbhai Chauhan (23), a resident of Surat; and Asfaq Imtiyazbhai Sheikh (32), a resident of Valsad.

Police said that on the day of the incident, the complainant was allegedly called to a flat at Karnavati Enclave in the Ramol area by a woman accused. Thereafter, the three men allegedly arrived at the premises, posed as police personnel and threatened to book the complainant in a false case. The accused allegedly assaulted the victim and demanded ₹20 lakh to avoid legal consequences. During the incident, ₹20,000 in cash was forcibly taken from the complainant, police said.

Following their arrest, police recovered ₹20,000 in cash, three four-wheeler vehicles allegedly used in the crime and five mobile phones. The total value of the seized property has been estimated at ₹19.4 lakh.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita about criminal conspiracy, extortion, impersonation and assault. 

Police have also named four other accused who are absconding, including Ravindra Kumar Prabhubhai Hadvadiya, Geetaben Randhirbhai Gohil, Sangeetaben Mukeshbhai Chauhan and Naaz alias Kinjal Patel Khan. Efforts are under way to trace and apprehend them.

Officials stated that two of the accused have prior criminal records registered at police stations in Gujarat. The police are examining whether the gang was involved in similar offences in other districts.

“We are verifying the background of the accused and analysing digital evidence recovered from the seized mobile phones and vehicles. More victims may come forward as the investigation progresses,” a senior police officer said.