Another gang which shot sex videos to make a quick buck in police net

Mangalore police said ‘Target Gang' used its women members to lure and trap businessmen in Ullal. It used the videos and photographs to extort money from the victims.

Members of Bajrang Dal protesting against the kidnapping and filming of two medical students after forcing them to have sex, in Mangalore on Tuesday. — PHOTO: R. ESWARRAJ

The arrest on Saturday of eight members of a gang — who allegedly kidnapped two medical students and forced them to have sex and filmed the act to extort money — has brought to light another gang that uses similar method.

The police said 'Target Gang' used its two women members to trap businessmen in Ullal and neighbouring areas. The women would either lure or force the businessmen to have sex with them, which will be filmed and photographed. The gang would use the videos and photographs to extort money later.

One last time

The Target gang was exposed when one of its victims managed to escape and report the matter in November. The 30-year-old victim was allegedly kidnapped and forced into a sexual act, which the gang filmed on October 30. His nude photographs with a woman were also taken. They threatened to make the video and photographs public if he failed to bring in Rs. 5 lakh.

The victim, however, escaped from the gang’s vehicle and made it to his relative’s shop in Ullal. The relative reported it to police.

Another victim was a businessman from Arekala in Mangalore taluk. The police said a woman (a Target member) hugged the businessman when he was coming out of a mosque. The gang photographed the act and then used it to extort around Rs. 3 lakh. The gang members disguised themselves as prospective tenants and used a woman to take pictures with a landlord in Mastikatte and extorted Rs. 5,000. They also extorted money from a businessman in Ullal by taking obscene pictures of him with a boy.

The police arrested Iliyas, Asif, Shaukat Ali, Mubarak, Jalal, Imran, Altaf, Nawaz and the two women. Ullal police said they were on the look out for two more persons associated with Target gang.

Apart from the 30-year-old man, the three others have now come forward to file complaints.

The gang members have been charged with kidnapping for extortion, dacoity, criminal intimidation and attempt to murder.

Eight sent to police custody

Meanwhile, the eight persons arrested in connection with the medical students kidnapping case were sent to two days of police custody.

Konaje police said they were collecting evidence and had recovered the motorcycle and car used by the accused. They were looking at the calls made by the accused using the mobile phone of the male student.

The police said so far no other case of the gang targeting other victims had surfaced. “The accused seem to have picked up the modus operandi used by the Target gang to earn easy money,” a police officer said. The accused have been accused of kidnapping for extortion, dacoity, and punishment for any man who watches or captures the image of a woman engaging in a private act, criminal intimidation and attempt to murder. They have also been accused of contravening provisions of the IT Act.