A hard-working, honest and jovial IIM graduate with an annual salary of ₹35 to 50 lakh was how he described himself on a matrimonial website. The women who fell for these claims, however, had to endure a harsh reality check.
The Shahdara district police have arrested a man, Yogesh alias Sameer Garg (32), for allegedly abducting a woman and extorting ₹3 lakh from her by threatening to make a video of their intimate moments public. According to the police, the man has cheated over a dozen women in a similar manner, pocketing over ₹50 lakh till date.
With his arrest, the police have rescued a 42-year-old divorced woman and her 12-year-old son whom he had held her captive and was blackmailing them.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Nupur Prasad said Yogesh confessed that he was inspired by a Hindi movie, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, in which the protagonist used a similar modus operandi to woo women and then flee with their money.
In the present case, Yogesh had lured the victim, a schoolteacher, on the pretext of marriage and taken her to Goa to meet his parents. She told the police that he filmed a video with her and later used it to force her and her son to stay with him and foot his bills.
Missing complaint
When she did not return, the victim’s brother lodged a missing complaint and told the police about Yogesh. Taking cues from a telephone conversation, a police team nabbed the accused from the New Delhi railway station. The woman and her son were also with him.
During interrogation, the accused allegedly told the police that he used to impress his victims with his social media accounts where he posted check-ins at five-star hotels and airports. After his arrest, five more women have come forward and complained against him.