Maihar: A chilling example of the dangers of online friendships has emerged from Maihar, Madhya Pradesh. A young man, working in Pune, fell victim to a honeytrap after befriending a woman on Instagram. The woman, along with her accomplices, lured him to Maihar, extorted money, and filmed him in a compromising situation.
The Incident
Shivshankar Gupta, a resident of Bhadnapur Pahad in Maihar, was approached by a woman identified as Mansi, also known as Goldy, on Instagram around 10 days prior. After building trust through chats and calls, Mansi convinced him to travel from Pune to Maihar to meet her. On 3 February, the two met at Ghantaghar Chowk at 7:30 pm, had dosas at the Indian Coffee House, and then she led him to her rented room in Ghurpura under the pretext of drinking water. Initially hesitant, Shivshankar agreed to enter.
Assault and Extortion
Once inside, Mansi allegedly called in four accomplices — Vicky Gupta (Latagaon), Manoj aka Macho, Phoolchand Kushwaha, and another unidentified youth. The men verbally abused and physically assaulted Shivshankar, inflicting injuries on his hands, legs, and knees. He was forcibly stripped, and a video was recorded.
The suspects threatened to frame him in a rape case and circulate the video if he did not pay. Fearing for his life and reputation, Shivshankar disclosed his mobile and PhonePe passwords. The accused extorted ₹56,000 from his account in installments. Around 1 am, they abandoned him near a deserted road close to Nehru Centaury on his scooter and fled.
Police Investigation
Following the assault and extortion, Shivshankar approached the police. CSP Mehendra Singh confirmed that a case has been registered under relevant sections of the law, including BNS Section 308. The investigation involves Instagram chat logs, call details, and CCTV footage. Four accused — Mansi Namdev aka Goldy, Vicky Gupta, Manoj aka Macho, and Phoolchand Gupta — have been taken into custody. One suspect remains at large.