Delhi Police's Crime Branch arrested Rakesh Sharma, wanted in a Gurugram blackmail case. He allegedly extorted money from a woman using objectionable videos. His wife was caught earlier while collecting extortion money. Sharma has a prior criminal record.
In a significant breakthrough, the Inter-State Cell (ISC) of the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a wanted accused in a blackmail and extortion case registered in Gurugram, Haryana. The accused, identified as Rakesh Sharma, had been absconding and evading arrest after allegedly extorting money and threatening the victim using objectionable videos. Police said he was apprehended near Patiala House Courts in New Delhi based on specific intelligence inputs.
Details of the Blackmail Scheme
According to police, FIR No. 133/26 dated 21.03.2026 was registered at Police Station Palam Vihar, Gurugram, under Sections 308(2), 308(7), 351(3) and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of a woman resident of Palam Vihar. The complainant alleged that she had joined yoga classes during the COVID period conducted by the accused, during which he developed close relations with her and later established physical relations. He also allegedly took financial assistance from her.
Police said the accused secretly recorded objectionable videos of their private moments and began blackmailing her, initially extorting Rs 3 lakh and falsely assuring deletion of the content. However, in March 2026, he again contacted her, circulated the objectionable material to her husband, and demanded Rs 15 lakh more.
Wife Caught Collecting Extortion Money
On 21 March 2026, while his wife, Nitu Sharma, allegedly came to collect the extortion money, she was caught red-handed by Gurugram Police, while the main accused managed to flee.
Accused's Confession and Criminal Past
During interrogation, Sharma reportedly admitted that he retained copies of the videos and reinitiated extortion due to financial constraints. Police further stated that he has a prior criminal background, including involvement in a murder case in Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh, and had remained in judicial custody for around 8-9 years before being granted bail in 2018.
The accused was produced before the court of Ld. CJM, New Delhi, and further legal proceedings are underway. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)