Two More Extortion and Fraud Cases Registered Against Notorious Blackmailer Zeenat in Udupi

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Udupi : The ongoing investigation into the multi-crore fraud and blackmail scandal involving the arrested accused, Zeenat, has led to the registration of two fresh cases at the Udupi Town Police Station. The serial extortionist was initially arrested following a complaint lodged on July 2 by a Udupi-based man. The complainant alleged that Zeenat (41) had progressively swindled approximately Rs 70 lakh from him. When he demanded his money back, she blackmailed him by threatening to leak his private photographs and file a false rape case at the women’s police station. She further demanded an additional Rs 40 lakh and boasted about possessing compromising photos of several high-profile individuals. Following her arrest, the court had remanded her to police custody for five days to facilitate a deeper probe.

As the police dug deeper into the scandal, they unearth a massive trail of deception and seized a pen drive containing explicit videos alongside screenshots of private photos used to target victims. Interrogations of various witnesses confirmed that Zeenat had systematically trapped and defrauded numerous other individuals using similar tactics. Realizing that the law had finally caught up with her, more victims began stepping forward to report their losses.

On July 8, a Manipal resident approached the police with a new complaint detailing how Zeenat had tricked him back in 2020 by fabricating a story about an urgent financial crisis. She convinced him that she was on the verge of securing a Rs 2 crore loan under a minority welfare scheme and promised to return his assets within a year. Believing her, the victim handed over 148 grams of gold ornaments, which she subsequently pledged to secure a loan of Rs 4.36 lakh. While she initially paid a few loan installments to keep up appearances, she eventually stopped the payments and refused to return the gold. When the victim went to her residence to demand his assets, Zeenat and her relatives allegedly threatened him with his life. The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

In another shocking revelation, a resident from Bannanje filed a separate complaint detailing a prolonged extortion ordeal lasting from 2018 to 2022. The victim stated that he became acquainted with Zeenat and another woman named Geetha Rao at a local commercial complex. The duo deceitfully recorded videos of him under the pretext of taking selfies. They later weaponized these recordings, threatening to make them viral and file a sexual assault case against him unless he paid up. Trapped in fear, the victim shell out Rs 36.84 lakh over a period of time. The second accused, Geetha Rao, independently blackmailed him further, extorting gold ornaments worth Rs 15 lakh and extracting signed bank cheques.

The Udupi Town Police have officially booked the duo in this second fresh case and launched an intensive investigation. Top police sources indicate that as the investigation progresses, many more victims who were previously silenced by fear and social stigma are expected to come forward with complaints against Zeenat.