Goa: Main accused wanted for operating 'sextortion' racket held

The main accused in a sextortion racket in Goa which mainly targeted rich businessmen has been arrested, police said on Wednesday. A police officer said the racketeers used to target businessmen by threatening to falsely implicate them in rape cases if they failed to pay money.

The main accused in a sextortion racket in Goa which mainly targeted rich businessmen has been arrested, police said on Wednesday. A police officer said the racketeers used to target businessmen by threatening to falsely implicate them in rape cases if they failed to pay money. Police had arrested three persons, including two women, in August this year. ''The main accused, Harish Hemani, was arrested on Saturday. He was on the run for more than two months. Further investigation is going on. At least for now, fresh arrests are not expected in this case,” Superintendent of Police (North Goa) Nidhin Valsan told PTI.

The lid on the racket was blown off in August after a Gujarat resident submitted a complaint with the Goa Police that some people are trying to extort money from him by threatening to frame him in a rape case, another official said.

At least two such incidents were reported Colvale and Calangute areas of the coastal state. Sexual extortion or 'sextortion' is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share a nude or sexual image or video of the victim if he fails to give in to their demands.