Srinagar, Sep 30 (IANS): The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday busted a honey trap extortion racket in Srinagar in which influential persons were targeted by the gang, official said.

Srinagar police had received a complaint from a government official that he had been duped of Rs 8 lakh through extortion.

The official said he was being blackmailed by the gang who had threatened to send a video clip to his family in which he had been filmed in a stranger's bedroom.

The government official complained that he had received a call from a woman asking a favour.

She had requested the official to go to her home to settle a family dispute.

When the official went there, he was taken to the bedroom. Two men then entered the bedroom where the woman was already present.

They started recording the man's video in presence of the woman.

One of the two men, who later turned out to be the woman's husband, accused the official of having an affair with wife.

Srinagar police started an inquiry into the official's complaint and found that the complaint was true.

Three persons, Ajay Ganai, his wife Shaista and their friend Jehangir Dar were running the racket, and had blackmailed many people from whom they had collected Rs 40 lakh as extortion money.

The three accused persons have been arrested.