Police arrest woman, aide for running honey-trap racket

A pattern that had been hiding in plain sight has finally come into focus. The Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested a 44-year-old woman and her associate for allegedly running a calculated racket of honey-trapping and filing false rape and molestation cases to extort money after at least nine FIRs were traced to her name across the city.

The accused, Shabnam Sajid, also known as Sidra Mansoor, and her associate, Yashdev Singh Chauhan, were arrested by the Inter-State Cell of the Crime Branch.

Police say Chauhan posed as an advocate to negotiate settlements, while the woman stayed removed from direct money dealings. The case, now registered as FIR No. 282/2025 at Mehrauli police station under sections related to extortion and conspiracy, is being probed as part of a larger organised network.

The breakthrough came after a prolonged legal battle led by retired Army officer Captain Rakesh Walia: one of the alleged victims whose case was ultimately quashed by the Supreme Court in February 2025, with the court terming it an “abuse of process of law.”

Walia’s complaint forms the backbone of the present FIR and lays bare a methodical script. According to the FIR, the accused first approached Walia through social media under the pretext of promoting his books. She presented herself as a well-connected media professional and influencer, offering to translate and promote his autobiography to widen its reach. Conversations moved across WhatsApp and other platforms. A fee structure was discussed.

Walia alleges that he paid an initial amount but resisted further payments. Meetings were arranged, including one near Chhatarpur Metro Station in December 2021. During a car ride, he noticed the woman carrying two phones and a recording device switched on throughout. She allegedly insisted they move to a hotel, which he refused.

Hours later, the narrative flipped. By evening, the woman reached the Noida Sector 37 police station and attempted to file a rape complaint, alleging she had been assaulted after being offered intoxicants. When that did not hold, she moved across police stations before finally lodging an FIR at Mehrauli late that night.

The FIR details several inconsistencies: she refused medical examination, did not submit evidence, and could not identify the place of occurrence.

Police records cited in the complaint note that she was seen walking normally at a police post shortly after the alleged incident. Call records also suggested she was continuously on phone calls during the time she claimed to have been assaulted.

Despite this, a chargesheet was filed. Walia fought back: first in the High Court and then in the Supreme Court, which quashed the FIR.

“The law related to this is a joke. This is a clear case of misuse of law… still, the police and the system caught me in four years of problems,” Walia said.

The FIR and subsequent Crime Branch investigation reveal that this was not an isolated instance. Police say the accused had filed at least nine FIRs across Delhi: three involving rape allegations and six involving molestation and intimidation against different men. The FIR lists multiple cases across police stations, including Mehrauli, Dwarka, Kotwali, Hazrat Nizamuddin, and others.

Investigators found a striking similarity in the modus operandi. Victims were contacted, often through social media. Meetings were arranged in controlled settings. After initial engagement, disputes were triggered and criminal cases filed. Intermediaries would then approach victims for “settlement”.

A pen drive containing alleged audio recordings of such negotiations has been recovered. Voice samples of both accused have been sent for forensic examination. Police also found that Chauhan, who claimed to be a lawyer, was in fact a clerk at Karkardooma Courts.

A key figure in unravelling the case has been Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj, director of Ekam Nyaay Foundation, who assisted Walia through his legal fight.

Bhardwaj said her intervention helped trace multiple FIRs linked to the same woman, information that is otherwise difficult for an accused person to access. “She has even messaged Walia’s son on Facebook saying, ‘Your father has raped me’,” Bhardwaj said, pointing to the psychological pressure tactics used.

She added that such cases are no longer isolated. “In recent years, many such instances have surfaced where women have filed multiple cases and used them to extort money. Some have turned it into a business,” she said. Advocate Bharat Chugh, who represented Walia, said the arrests are only the beginning.