Belagavi, 5 Feb

Malmaruti police in Belagavi arrested three men for allegedly blackmailing a senior woman government official after installing hidden cameras in her residence and threatening to circulate the footage on social media unless they were paid Rs 1 crore.

The accused, Sameer Nissar Ahmed Sheikh, 32; Abdul Rasheed Makanadar, 51; and Mohammed Balekundrigained entry into the official’s house on the pretext of work and installed a concealed camera in the bedroom, police said.

They later sent the recorded footage to the official and demanded Rs 1 crore, threatening torelease the visuals on social media if the money was not paid. They subsequently reduced their demand to Rs 50 lakh, police said.

Refusing to yield to the threat, the official approached Belagavi Police Commissioner Bhushan Borase and filed a complaint with Malmaruti police. A team led by Inspector BR Gadekar arrested the accused.

“Those arrested are not journalists. They used fake identity cards to threaten the official. Further investigation is under way to ascertain the extent of their fraud network,” Borase said.