Lucknow: Police in Lucknow have registered a case against two men accused of sexually exploiting a woman, blackmailing her, and extorting money on the false promise of marriage, officials said.
According to police, the woman came into contact with one of the accused, Shakti Pratap Singh, through a matrimonial website. He later introduced her to another man, Harsh Raghuvanshi.
After Singh was reportedly sent to jail in an unrelated matter, the woman remained in touch with Raghuvanshi, who allegedly gained her trust. Police said he invited her to Lucknow, even arranging her travel to reassure her intentions of marriage.
In her complaint, the woman alleged that she arrived in Lucknow in August 2025 and checked into a hotel, where the accused established physical relations with her on the pretext of marriage. She further alleged that he recorded private photos and videos without her consent.
The survivor told police that when she objected, the accused assured her of marriage. However, he later allegedly used the material to blackmail her and extorted around ₹1.8 lakh.
The FIR states that she was again called to Lucknow in November 2025 under the pretext of deleting the content, but the accused allegedly repeated the assault and continued blackmailing her.
Police said the accused allegedly threatened to circulate the private material and demanded an additional ₹5 lakh, while also pressuring her into further exploitation.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is currently underway, police added.
