3 held for honey-trapping, robbing astrologer in Palakkad

The police arrested three persons, including a woman, for robbing an astrologer using a honeytrap at Kozhinjampara, near here.

Ranjith from Nallepilly, S. Sreejesh from Kuttippuram and Maimoona from Malappuram were those arrested since Thursday. The police said seven more people, including the mastermind of the crime, N. Pratheesh, are wanted in connection with the case.

The incident happened at Kozhinjampara on Wednesday afternoon. A day earlier, Maimoona and an accomplice visited the astrologer at his Kollengode residence, requesting his services to perform rituals at their home to resolve Maimoona’s marital issues.

Upon arriving at Kozhinjampara around 11 a.m., the astrologer was escorted by two youths to Pratheesh’s house at Kallandichalla. According to the police, Pratheesh has a history of involvement in multiple criminal cases, including murder.

Under the pretext of preparing for a puja and related rituals, Pratheesh seized the astrologer and dragged him into a room, where he was forcibly stripped of his clothing. Maimoona then entered the room and the perpetrators took photos and videos of the astrologer with her.

The assailants stole the astrologer’s gold chain, a mobile phone, and ₹2,000. They then blackmailed the astrologer, threatening to share the compromising photos and videos on social media unless he paid them a ransom of ₹20 lakh.

Coincidentally, a police team from Chittur arrived on the scene in search for a suspect involved in a clash that occurred on Sunday. On seeing the police, the perpetrators escaped from the house.

The astrologer too used this opportunity to escape from there. The police said they reached the spot tracking the mobile location of one of the accused.

During the chaos, one of the perpetrators, an inebriated woman, fell on the road and started abusing people. She was taken into custody by the police. The astrologer, meanwhile, filed a complaint with the police at Kollengode. The police said they were in search of the others involved in the honeytrap.