Jayachandran, who was arrested from Thiruvananthapuram in connection with the Kochi blackmail case, was responsible for identifying the victims of the racket and setting up meetings with them, the police said.
“He had a lot of connections and used them to lure people into the trap,” said a police officer. Jayachandran earlier worked with an advertising company with branches in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.
He later became a “facilitator” for people. “If government employees needed something done, like getting a transfer, they would approach him and he would facilitate deals. He built a lot of connections in this manner and that helped him trick people,” said a police officer.
He allegedly introduced people to two other accused – Ruksana and Bindiya – who solicited for the gang and met them at various hotels in Kochi.
The gang secretly videographed their meetings and used the videos to blackmail their clients. The police had arrested two others, Sanilan and Prajeesh, who allegedly made arrangements for recording the videos and blackmailing people.
The police suspect that the gang may have been in operation for about two months, using high-end hotels in Kochi for the sexual encounters.
The gang is believed to have lured several persons, including businessmen and politicians, into their trap. “We are working on the call records of the accused to find out how many people they blackmailed and who else they were working with. Some people have even committed suicide under pressure from their threats,” the officer said.
The police suspect that the group may have made illegal gain to the tune of at least Rs.1 crore. The investigation team is expected to seek custody of the accused next week.
