PUNE: Returning a missed call initiated a chain of events that saw a 26-year-old garment shop owner from Kamshet being lured into a trap by a woman and six of her accomplices, threatened with an accusation of rape, kidnapped, beaten up and finally extorted of more than Rs96,000.The victim was initially hesitant about going to the police, but the medical practitioner who attended to his injuries alerted the cops. He then lodged an FIR. The police have booked the woman and her accomplices. The victim is still undergoing treatment.A trap is setThough the physical assault and extortion took place on March 28, the trap was set much in advance.Nilkanth Jagtap, the assistant inspector and in-charge of the Kamshet police, said that about a month ago, the complainant had received a missed call on his cellphone, which he ignored. However, the caller gave three more missed calls.Late at night, the shop owner returned the call, which was answered by a woman.The woman said she had dialled his number by mistake. However, she continued talking to him. “The complainant was reluctant to divulge any information, but the woman sweet-talked him into telling her about himself. She then expressed a desire to meet him. The woman also sent the complainant her photos, though she deleted them later,” said Jagtap.The woman kept calling the man. The calls continued even when he left town to visit his native place. “After he returned, they twice decided to meet, but the man backed out,” Jagtap added. On March 28, the woman set up another meeting at a lodge near Talegaon. “This time, the complainant went to meet her. He even got physical with her. The woman, however, suddenly left the room,” Jagtap said. Confused and suspicious, the shop owner stepped out of the room.“He was confronted by five men who started beating him up,” Jagtap added. The men told the complainant that he had “raped the wife of a military man” and that they had informed the woman’s brother-in-law, who was expected to reach the spot soon. They forcefully took the complainant to a spot near the Pavana dam. “They thrashed him and said that the woman’s husband had spent Rs 25 lakh on his wedding, and now he must pay the amount,” Jagtap said. When the victim said that he did not have the money, he was beaten up more. His hand was fractured.“The suspects then contacted an acquaintance of the victim, who came to the spot. He convinced the victim to pay some money,” Jagtap said. The suspects managed to take Rs96,500 from the victim. Later, the acquaintance dropped the complainant near Kamshet. By this time, the complainant had figured out that his acquaintance too was an accomplice.

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