A man accused of blackmailing told cops during questioning that he lost ₹6 crore out of ₹7.25 crore he had extorted from a builder in online gambling.
Ahmedabad Crime Branch sleuths arrested Girish Pahelani of Naroda and Ankit Patel for honey-trapping a builder and blackmailing him with photos and videos taken of the builder with a woman in January 2021.
Ankit Patel, the friend of the victim, allegedly provided Girish the videos, and for that, he was paid ₹60 lakh by Girish. Moreover, Girish also paid ₹50 lakh to the woman involved in the blackmailing, revealed the interrogation.
At first, Girish was paid 1.5 cr by the builder. However, over time, he extorted a total of ₹7.25 crore from the victim.
The family members of the victim got to know about the blackmailing when the builder, tired of the repeated demands by the accused, attempted suicide.
Apart from losing ₹6 crore in online gambling, Girish also lost ₹18 lakh in casinos of Goa, repaid a loan worth ₹11 lakh, and purchased jewellery worth ₹20 lakh.
The investigation revealed that Girish had acquired an online gambling ID from one Manish Arora, and lost ₹6 crore in Teen Patti.