In a shocking case from Nagpur, a senior doctor serving as the Head of Department at a prominent city hospital fell victim to a meticulously planned honeytrap and extortion racket, losing ₹1.78 lakh. The Nagpur Police Crime Branch has cracked the case, arresting seven individuals, including a woman journalist, while six more suspects are under investigation.
The Elaborate Trap and Escalating Blackmail
The ordeal began in September when the 62-year-old doctor travelled to Gondia to meet a friend. According to police investigators, members of the criminal gang lured him with promises of sexual favours. Unbeknownst to the victim, they secretly recorded explicit videos and photographs during this encounter.
The blackmail started soon after. Posing as personnel from the Gondia police, the gang members threatened the doctor with arrest and public shaming. The harassment intensified over the following months. Two accused, identified as Pathan and Ramtekkar, allegedly forced the victim to an ATM and made him withdraw ₹1 lakh. Even after he returned to Nagpur, the extortion continued through online transfers to multiple bank accounts, pushing the total extracted sum to ₹1.78 lakh.
The gang's tactics grew increasingly brazen. At one point, a woman's brother allegedly created a disturbance at the doctor's hospital. Other members threatened to falsely implicate the esteemed medical professional in a fabricated rape case. The extortionists initially demanded a staggering ₹2 crore to delete the compromising material, later "settling" for ₹60 lakh.
Police Sting Operation Leads to Arrests
Unable to withstand the immense pressure, the victim finally approached the Crime Branch on December 4. Acting on his complaint, ACP (Crime Branch) Abhijit Patil formed a special team led by PI Dilip Chandan to nab the culprits.
The police laid a trap. On Thursday, the complainant was instructed to deliver ₹3 lakh as a first instalment at a hotel. Three accused—Nitin Kamble, Ashwin Dhanvijay, and Kunal Puri—arrived to collect the money. When they rejected the partial payment and insisted on the full ₹60 lakh, the police team moved in and apprehended them.
Subsequent interrogation of these three led to the arrest of four more accomplices: Ravikant Kamble, Ritesh alias Pappu Durugkar, Ashish Kawade, and Avinash Sakhre. Police revealed that this is the second similar case registered against accused Nitin Kamble.
Recoveries and Legal Action
From the arrested individuals, the police recovered ₹1,500 in cash and mobile phones collectively worth ₹1.56 lakh. All seven have been remanded to police custody until Monday.
A formal case has been registered at Tehsil Police Station under the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges include Sections 308(2) for extortion, 61(2) for criminal conspiracy, and 3(5) for joint liability.
The successful operation was conducted under the supervision of Police Commissioner Ravinder Singal, Joint CP Navinchandra Reddy, Additional CP (Crime) Vasant Pardeshi, and DCP (Detection) Rahul Maknikar. Authorities have urged any other individuals targeted by this gang to come forward and contact the nearest police station, the Crime Branch, or the control room at 0712-2561222 or 2561333.
