Daijiworld Media Network – Kolhapur
Kolhapur, Oct 12: In a shocking case of cyber extortion, a brother-sister duo from Mandedurg village in Chandgad taluk, Kolhapur district, has been arrested for allegedly attempting to trap a sitting MLA in a honey trap scam and extort Rs 10 lakh from him.
According to police sources, Chandgad MLA Shivaji Patil lodged a complaint at Chitalsar Police Station in Thane on October 8 after receiving obscene messages, photos, and videos from an unidentified woman over the past year. The woman allegedly sent vulgar content and later demanded money, threatening to malign the legislator’s political image.
Following the complaint, both Kolhapur and Thane Police launched a joint investigation and arrested Mohan Jotiba Pawar (26) and his sister Shamal Jotiba Pawar (26), residents of Mandedurg. The duo had reportedly been sending explicit chats and blackmail messages to the MLA from multiple mobile numbers. They were detained by Chandgad Police on Friday night and later handed over to Thane Police for further investigation.
Police revealed that the accused initially befriended the MLA through social media and gradually escalated their conversations to send obscene visuals, followed by blackmail threats. Despite the MLA blocking their numbers, they continued to harass him using new SIM cards.
After news of the FIR surfaced, the main accused, Mohan Pawar, reportedly appeared at MLA Patil’s local office in Savarde, pleading for forgiveness, saying, “I made a mistake. Please forgive me; it won’t happen again.” However, police took him into custody soon after. His sister was also arrested later as her involvement became evident during interrogation.
Preliminary findings suggest that Mohan may be mentally unstable, though police are still verifying the motive behind the crime — whether it was a case of extortion or something more.
Authorities have urged the public to remain alert against such cyber honey trap schemes, emphasizing the need for greater awareness to prevent similar crimes in the future.