Ahmedabad, Oct 7: A 39-year-old man was arrested by the Local Crime Branch (LCB) of Ahmedabad Police after allegedly honey-trapping an older man through Facebook and extorting Rs 24 lakh from him in instalments by threatening to implicate him in false cases, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Alpesh Solanki, a resident of Thikvadi village in Botad district, was arrested with Rs 1 lakh in cash allegedly collected from the complainant during the latest extortion attempt.

According to police, the incident came to light on the night of October 5, when Anandnagar Police Station received a control-room message stating that a gang had allegedly blackmailed an older man and his son and taken Rs 1 lakh from them in a black bag.

Officials said a man wearing black trousers and a white checked shirt was reported to have fled from Pakwan Char Rasta with the money.

Following the information, senior officials directed the concerned officers to take immediate action.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-7) Shivam Verma ordered a special action plan and strict naka-bandi in the area to identify and apprehend those involved.

Teams from the LCB Zone-7, led by Police Sub-Inspector H.D. Vaghela, conducted intensive patrolling and vehicle checks along the SG Highway.

Based on specific information received, the police located a man matching the description in the control-room message hiding under the Karnavati Bridge with a black bag.

He was apprehended along with Rs 1 lakh in cash.

Police said questioning of Solanki revealed that he and his associates had allegedly contacted the complainant through Facebook and honey-trapped him.

The accused allegedly threatened to register false cases against him and, as part of a planned conspiracy, collected Rs 24 lakh from him in instalments.

Police further said the gang had allegedly demanded another Rs 7 lakh from the complainant during the latest episode.

Officials said the complainant became suspicious and contacted the police, following which Solanki was arrested with Rs 1 lakh.

Two other accused, Kishan alias Kanu Parmar, a resident of Morarinagar-1 on Targhada Road in Botad, and Lalo, a resident of Panadara village in Kadi taluka of Mehsana district, are yet to be arrested.

Police said efforts to trace them are underway.

The police seized two bundles of Rs 500 notes totalling Rs 1 lakh, a black bag and a mobile phone valued at Rs 5,000.

The total value of the seized property was put at Rs 1.05 lakh.

Police advised people to exercise caution before accepting friend requests from unknown persons on social media and while communicating with strangers online.

The police also appealed to anyone facing blackmail or an extortion demand of this nature to approach the nearest police station.

Mumbai, Oct 7: The Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC), Worli Unit of the Mumbai Police, has seized Nitrazepam and Alprazolam tablets worth approximately Rs 2.53 crore in a case related to the illegal sale of narcotic and psychotropic substances.

According to a press note, the case has been registered by the Anti-Narcotics Cell, Worli Unit, under Section 22(C) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The offence took place between 10:40 p.m. on October 6 and 12:40 a.m. on October 7.

Acting on information received during an investigation into persons allegedly involved in the purchase, sale and supply of illegal drugs in Mumbai, the police learned that a person was selling tablets used for intoxication in the Dr Zakir Hussain Nagar area of Govandi.

Following verification of the information, a police team searched the residence of the accused and seized 4,500 Nitrazepam tablets of the NITCOR-10 brand. The tablets weighed approximately 2 kg and 475 grams and were valued at Rs 1.98 crore.

The police also recovered 5,300 Alprazolam tablets of the PROCALM-1 brand, weighing approximately 689 grams and valued at Rs 55.92 lakh.

In total, 9,800 Nitrazepam and Alprazolam tablets, collectively valued at approximately Rs 2.53 crore, were seized during the operation.

The operation was carried out under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare and Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Krishnakant Upadhyay, with the supervision of senior officers of the Anti-Narcotics Cell and Worli Unit.

Earlier, on October 2, the Anti-Narcotics Cell raided The Smoke Shop at Bhoomi Tower in Sector 4, following concerns raised by Kharghar residents over a shop operating barely 50 metres from ITM College. Police seized hookah flavours and related material worth around Rs 92,000.

The raid was conducted after the ANC received information regarding the sale of hookah and tobacco products near an educational institution. A team led by Senior Police Inspector Sandeep Nigade carried out the operation.

Earlier, on August 19, the Mumbai ANC had arrested a man from Bihar at Bandra Terminus for allegedly carrying 10.10 kg of charas, with a market value of Rs 10.01 crore.

Surendranagar, Oct 7: Nine people, including two women, have been arrested in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district after a married woman was allegedly assaulted, illegally confined and gang-raped during a purported “purification” ritual over her relationship with another man, with videos of the incident later circulated on social media, police said.

The case came to light after videos showing the woman being subjected to violence and humiliation surfaced online.

Police said the woman had not initially approached them, but officers acted after receiving information from community members and began searching for her.

Surendranagar SP Premsukh Delu said several police teams were deployed to trace the woman after the videos came to their attention.

The woman was eventually located and brought to the police station, where her statement was recorded, and she was provided protection.

According to the police complaint, the woman had left her husband and gone to live with another man. Her husband and relatives allegedly traced her and brought her to a house, where she was confined using locks and chains.

She subsequently escaped, but the accused allegedly caught her again and tied her to a tree with ropes.

The accused allegedly subjected the woman and the man she had been living with to physical assault and humiliation in the name of carrying out a “shuddhikaran” or purification ritual.

Police said the woman was allegedly sexually assaulted by multiple people, with the ordeal being recorded on a mobile phone. The videos were subsequently circulated on social media.

Police are also investigating the circumstances in which the recordings were made and circulated.

A-Division police Inspector R.M. Sangada said the role of those who recorded and disseminated the videos was also being examined.

The accused have been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including provisions relating to sexual offences, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful confinement, wrongful concealment or keeping of an abducted person and acts carried out by several people in furtherance of a common intention, besides provisions of the Information Technology Act.

Police have arrested all nine accused, including two women who are alleged to have aided or participated in the offence.

Investigators are also examining the backgrounds and roles of the arrested persons as part of the ongoing probe. Police said further investigation was underway.