Preschool owner among three arrested for honeytrapping and blackmailing businessman

BENGALURU: A woman, who runs a preschool in the city, was arrested along with two others, including a history-sheeter, for blackmailing and honeytrapping a businessman and extorting lakhs from him. The arrested are Sridevi Rudagi, Sagar More and Ganesh Kale, who has nine cases pending against him in Vijayapura.

Businessman Mukesh Vaishnav (name changed to protect identity) had admitted his children to the play home run by Sridevi in 2013 when they got acquainted. Shridevi had borrowed Rs 2 lakh from Mukesh, promising to return the money in 20204. When he asked to return the money, she offered him partnership in the school.

Meanwhile, the two got close and Mukesh even purchased a new SIM card for his conversations with Sridevi. In January this year, he again asked her to return the money when she offered to give him anything to settle the financial deal. She even visited Mukesh at his house, planted a kiss on him and took and additional Rs 50,000.

Later, Sridevi offered to have a relationship with Mukesh and demanded another Rs 15 lakh. When she kep making demands repeatedly, Mukesh got rid of the SIM card. On March 19, Sridevi called Mukesh’s wife and informed her that she would be issuing a transfer certificate for their children. When Mukesh reached the preschool to inquire, Sagar More and Ganesh Kale were also present there.

Ganesh Kale then pointed towards Sagar More and told Mukesh that Sridevi was engaged to him and threatened to reveal about their relationship to his wife and Sridevi’s father. Mukesh then said that he was unaware that she was engaged and told Ganesh that he had only taken Sridevi out for dining.

The trio then forced Mukesh into a vehicle saying that they should got to the police station, but took him near his house in Mahalakshmi Layout where they demanded Rs 1 crore while threatening to reveal about Sridevi to his wife and then taking her away.

The trio finally settled for Rs 20 lakh and took Rs 1.9 lakh from Mukesh and released him. However, Sridevi again called Mukesh on March 17 and demanded Rs 15 lakh while promising to delete their explicit video chats. She threatened to show the videos to his wife and disrupt his family if the did not pay up.

Fed up of the constant demands, Mukesh finally approached the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police who arrested the trio. Further investigation is under way.