Kolkata woman arrested for allegedly blackmailing, threatening doctor

Kolkata: A 31-year-old woman has been arrested in Santoshpur for allegedly blackmailing and threatening a doctor and demanding money from him. Police said their investigation also revealed that the woman had previously lodged multiple rape and sexual harassment complaints against other individuals. 

The case came to light after the doctor’s wife approached police in April, alleging that the woman, who was reportedly a former patient of her husband, had been harassing and threatening him since December. She alleged that the woman repeatedly demanded money and threatened to implicate him if her demands were not met. 

“She demanded money and kept blackmailing her husband if he did not pay heed to her unreasonable demands,” a senior officer of Panchasayar police station said.

A case was registered following a court petition under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to alleged extortion and criminal intimidation. Police subsequently began investigating the allegations.

During the investigation, the police allegedly found that the woman had been involved in similar complaints involving other people. Police said she had filed 11 rape and sexual harassment cases against at least 14 people, which investigators are examining as part of the ongoing probe.

“She used to introduce herself as a model and implicate people in false cases. She had earlier lodged a complaint against her own father, leading to his arrest,” a police official said, reports Rediff.

Police also referred to an earlier complaint involving a dentist. According to the investigation, the woman allegedly visited his chamber in January and demanded money while threatening to file a case against him. The dentist was subsequently arrested following her complaint and later released on bail.

His wife then approached the Alipore court, alleging that he had been falsely implicated and seeking a proper investigation. Police said investigators later found that the dentist had informed Purba Jadavpur police beforehand about the possibility of being implicated in a case.

The probe also revealed that at least two people against whom the woman had allegedly filed cases later accused her of extortion, police said. “She has filed 11 such allegedly false cases against 14 people,” an officer said, as reported by The Telegraph. 

Police traced the woman to Santoshpur and arrested her near her residence around 6 pm on Friday. Investigators said they will examine the cases filed by and against her and collect further evidence before taking further action.